SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza in a commercial turkey facility in Sanpete County, Utah, earlier this week.
“Commercial turkey facilities in the northern U.S. and here in Utah have been the most impacted by HPAI this fall,” Dr. Amanda Price, state veterinarian, said in a release. “With migratory bird season just beginning, we may see a greater impact as the season progresses. It is imperative that poultry producers practice strong biosecurity.”
UDAF is working closely with the U.S Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on the incident response. All commercial facilities in the area have been quarantined, and the affected birds have been depopulated to stop the spread, the department said.
Additionally, UDAF and its federal partners are working together on extra surveillance and testing in the areas near the affected flock, the department added. Over 30,000 birds were affected.
“The loss of this flock is a significant hardship for the producer and their community, and our team is working closely with them to minimize the risk of spread to other facilities,” said Commissioner Kelly Pehrson. “That said, this incident involves a single round of birds from one facility and is not expected to cause a notable impact on the availability of turkeys in Utah or across the country leading up to Thanksgiving. Consumers should feel confident that turkey and poultry products remain safe and readily available.”
On Oct. 2, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service reported that for the previous 30 days there have been 19 commercial flocks and 8 backyard flocks affected by HPAI. The commercial flocks include 9 in South Dakota and 6 in Minnesota. These combined confirmations total 3.83 million affected birds.
For more information on bird flu, visit APHIS at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza.
