Bird flu reported at Pennsylvania egg laying facility with 1,500,000 hens

 

Headline:  WATT Poultry, 1/30/2026

Roy Graber reports:

The year’s first confirmed case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a commercial poultry flock in Pennsylvania involved a commercial laying hen flock of 1,509,700 birds. 

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported that the situation was confirmed on January 28 in Lancaster County. 

The state earlier this year reported two instances of HPAI in backyard flocks and two live bird markets, but according to World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) rules, HPAI infections in such premises should not have an impact on global poultry trade. 

Prior to this, the last time Pennsylvania had a commercial poultry operation struck by HPAI was on December 29, 2025, when a flock of 32,800 commercial meat ducks was affected. According to APHIS data, Pennsylvania lost 10 commercial poultry flocks, collectively involving 2,327,600 birds in 2025.

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Avian flu is not going away:  Texas records U.S. case #1079 since January 2024.  (9/9)

April-August 2025

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