Experts Discuss HPAI Impact on Dairy Cattle and Poultry

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Pennsylvania is actively monitoring the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle and poultry flocks across the United States.

To address concerns and provide critical information, the Center for Dairy Excellence is hosting a Pennsylvania Agriculture HPAI Conference Call on Wednesday, March 19, at 1 p.m. EST. This call is open to producers and stakeholders from all animal agriculture industries.

With HPAI detections continuing in Pennsylvania's commercial poultry flocks, the call will focus on surveillance requirements for dairy farms located in control buffer zones surrounding infected premises.

Experts will clarify that the current strain affecting poultry is different from the one impacting dairy cattle in other states, emphasizing the importance of precautionary measures.

The conference call will feature a panel of experts addressing various aspects of HPAI:

Dr. Alex Hamberg, PA State Veterinarian: Will provide an update on the overall HPAI situation and Pennsylvania's response efforts.
Dr. Ernest Hovingh, PADLS Lab Director at Penn State: Will discuss the current status of HPAI testing.
Seth Confer, Biosecurity Program Specialist at PDA: Will answer questions regarding biosecurity plan development and approval.
Dr. Miriam Wamsley, PA Department of Health Epidemiologist: Will provide information on available PPE and resources to protect operations and personnel.

Participants will have the opportunity to ask questions in real-time. To ensure that as many questions as possible are addressed, questions can also be submitted in advance by texting 717-585-0766 or emailing ctrdairyexcellence@gmail.com.

The call is scheduled for Wednesday, March 19, at 1 p.m. EST, with future calls planned for the first or second Wednesday of each month.

To join the conference call: