First case of commercial avian influenza poses 'serious threat' to agricultural industry • Georgia Recorder

This story was updated at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, with additional details.

Avian influenza has reached the state's valuable poultry industry, with the first commercial case of avian influenza occurring among producers in northeast Georgia.

The state Department of Agriculture announced late Friday that a positive case of highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed at a commercial poultry farm in Elbert County.

Before Friday, bird flu had only affected backyard flocks in Georgia, where four cases had been confirmed so far. Only this month Among the flocks of chickens and ducks in Clayton County.

“For the first time since the national outbreak began in 2022, HPAI has been confirmed at a commercial poultry farm in Georgia,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said in a statement Friday night.

“This is a serious threat to Georgia’s largest industry and the livelihoods of thousands of Georgians who make a living from the state’s poultry industry. “We are working around the clock to ensure that normal poultry activities can resume as soon as possible,” he added.

Elbert County producers first noticed signs of avian influenza in their flock Wednesday and collected samples to send to the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network for testing, according to a release from the agency. The laboratory concluded it was a positive case on Thursday, and the test result was confirmed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday.

The producer had approximately 45,000 broiler farmers on site at the time the infection was discovered.

Broilers are big business for Georgia and represent the state's top product. According to one study, the value of broiler farm shipments in 2023 was $5.8 billion. analysis It was released this month. This represents one-third of Georgia's total agricultural production.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture sent an emergency response team to the area Friday to “implement depopulation” and clean and disinfect facilities to stop the spread of infection. The work was expected to continue through the weekend.

All poultry operations within a 10.2-mile radius will be quarantined and tested for the next two weeks.

Harper's agency has also suspended all poultry exhibits, shows, exchanges, meetings, and sales at flea markets and auctions until further notice.

Mike Giles, president of the Georgia Poultry Federation, said they are taking steps to ensure chicken from infected farms never ends up on people's plates.

“Before poultry is processed for human consumption, samples are collected from each flock and the supply chain is processed for human consumption without first receiving test results showing that the flock is healthy and safe for consumption. “No food may be allowed in the air,” Giles said in the paper. Saturday's statement.

“This commitment to protecting the safety of poultry products produced in Georgia will continue throughout this response and beyond,” he added.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza is widespread in wild birds, causing outbreaks in poultry and dairy cattle.

Although the CDC considers the public health risk to be low, there have been 67 confirmed cases, most of them through direct contact with cattle and poultry. There have been no human cases of bird flu in Georgia.

One person died nationwide. A Louisiana man who was over 65 and had underlying health conditions. passed away this month After exposure to backyard birds or wild birds.

The Elbert County case has been confirmed to be H5 avian influenza, but “N” testing was still ongoing Saturday, a Department of Agriculture spokesperson said.