South Carolina reports its first case of bird flu at commercial operation since before 2022

 

36,000 turkeys

Headline:  WATT Poultry, 2/24/2026

Roy Graber reports:

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) reported that the presence of HPAI was confirmed in a commercial meat turkey flock in Lee County on February 23. There were 36,000 turkeys involved. 

Until now, the state’s only instance of HPAI in a commercial operation was when a commercial upland gamebird flock in Spartanburg County was struck on the final day of 2024, according to APHIS data. 

The state has also had five non-commercial flocks struck by HPAI from 2022 to 2025, but according to rules from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), non-commercial flock infections should not have an impact on international poultry trade.

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