Pennsylvania has been declared HPAI-free by the World Animal Health Organization, marking a return to normal international trade conditions for the state's $7.1 billion poultry industry. The designation comes after an outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in April 2022 that affected 31 commercial flocks, 36 backyard flocks, and caused the loss of 4,648,240 domestic birds.
The Shapiro Administration has been working with poultry businesses and other partners to achieve this milestone, deploying a team of over 170 experts to help conduct testing and improve security measures on farms across the Commonwealth. The budget Governor Shapiro signed earlier this month also includes $31 million to help poultry farmers impacted by the HPAI crisis pay for testing and get reimbursed for losses to their flocks.
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding credited Pennsylvania's coordinated, aggressive, and effective response to the high-path avian influenza outbreak for reaching this point. Planning, coordination, and critical partnerships across various industry levels, two Pennsylvania government administrations, the Department and PA Veterinary Diagnostic Lab System, USDA, and Penn State Extension, have been instrumental in mitigating the impact of the costliest animal agriculture emergency in U.S. history.
The Department is currently reviewing applications for the fifth round of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Recovery Reimbursement Grants to reimburse those in the industry for the costs of enhanced biosecurity to protect against the virus.
Pennsylvania remains under a general quarantine to protect the state's poultry industry from the spread of the virus. The Department continues testing and monitoring statewide. Despite no detections of the most infectious strain of virus in recent months in Pennsylvania, detections of the virus in surrounding states indicate that the threat to the industry warrants continued vigilance, especially as wild bird migration season approaches.
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Categories: Pennsylvania, Livestock, Poultry