HARRISBURG, Pa. — Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been decimating poultry flocks across the country, but recently Pennsylvania has been hit the hardest by the virus. So far in February alone, the state has had 12 commercial cases of the virus, all in Lancaster County, with more than 5.6 million birds affected, according to USDA data.
In response to this increase in infections, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro recently announced that his administration will be deploying additional resources to support the state’s HPAI response and protect the poultry producers.
As of Feb. 18, 42 USDA employees are on the ground in Pennsylvania, supporting 55 Commonwealth veterinarians and employees, four Pennsylvania State University Extension experts, and three members of the Pennsylvania National Guard Civilian Support team who are working to mitigate the spread of HPAI in Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
Additionally, the administration is working to secure resources for testing and biosecurity efforts and will be delegating six more Commonwealth employees to support the virus response.
“Since day one, my administration has worked aggressively to support Pennsylvania poultry farmers and reduce the spread of Hi-Path Avian Influenza — and today, we are deploying more resources to address this challenge head on,” Shapiro said. “Under the leadership of Secretary Russell Redding, we are working collaboratively with our federal partners, local communities, and the poultry industry on a coordinated response and we will continue to make available the resources necessary to mitigate the impacts of HPAI.”
“I know farmers are worried given the increase in cases, but I want them to know that my administration is standing with them and continuing our aggressive response to protect Pennsylvania’s flocks,” Shapiro added.
“This virus continues to test our industry, and we have been responding aggressively from day one. When cases rise, we intensify,” Russell Redding, Pennsylvania secretary of agriculture, said. “Our teams are on the ground immediately, our labs have increased testing capacity and have expedited results to support the response, and we are coordinating daily with USDA and industry leaders.”
“At the same time, we need every producer to double down on biosecurity — vigilance on the farm is the strongest defense. We are fully mobilized,” Redding added. “We will continue deploying every available resource to protect Pennsylvania farms, and we need every producer to stay alert and proactive as we confront this evolving threat together.”
In addition to providing the industry with more resources and support, Shapiro’s administration is further investing in the state’s $7.1 billion poultry industry. This investment includes establishing strong biosecurity protocols and providing education and support to the industry to prevent infection and keep flocks safe, dedicating personnel and resources to ensure swift, coordinated response when infections hit, expanding Pennsylvania’s capacity for disease testing and monitoring, and creating the nation’s only HPAI Recovery Fund to help impacted farmers recover their losses and get back to businesses, the PDA said.
“Government and industry working together in a crisis makes the critical difference between failing and getting back to business,” Redding said. “This avian influenza outbreak has been the biggest animal health crisis in American history. And Pennsylvania is getting back to business because our skilled response team has been unwavering in their dedication through bitter cold and brutal heat, working under extreme pressure alongside farmers and other industry professionals whose livelihoods are at stake.”
“Their teamwork has been the hallmark of this response since the beginning,” Redding added. “At the same time, the Shapiro administration’s unwavering support for Pennsylvania’s farmers is bringing the right people, the right funding, and the right resources to bear on getting poultry businesses back up and running quickly and safely.”
In the event that a farmer’s flock becomes infected with the virus, or their operations are temporarily suspended due to control area restrictions, Redding reminded them that they can apply for HPAI Recovery Grants.
Pennsylvania’s HPAI Recovery Fund, which funds the grants, is the nation’s first fund dedicated to helping poultry businesses get back on their feet after devastating losses from avian influenza, the department noted. From 2022 to 2024, the fund received $75 million in state funding and now has $59.45 million in reserve.
“I’ve seen firsthand how meaningful these recovery grants can be for family farms,” Chris Pierce, Heritage Poultry Management Services president, said. “This is a life-impacting investment that gives farmers hope during a time when their sole source of income has been paused. The grant gets them through to the other side, when they can refill their barns and get back to business.”
Pierce’s partner-farmers are among the 300 Pennsylvania poultry business owners who have received a total of $15.9 million in grants through the program to help them recover losses and protect their operations with biosecurity improvements, the PDA noted.
“Biosecurity — the preventative steps farmers take every day to help keep viruses from spreading on their farms — should be at the top of every farm management team’s operational plan,” Pennsylvania State Veterinarian Dr. Alex Hamberg said. “When everyone who sets foot on a farm follows the procedures in a biosecurity plan tailored to that farm, disease risks decrease.”
When it comes to monitoring and detecting HPAI, testing is the most important tool to diminish damage and accelerate recovery. The Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System is made up of three labs in charge of testing for HPAI in the state.
These labs include the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory, Penn State College of Agriculture Sciences’ Animal Diagnostic Laboratory in University Park, and the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in Kennett Square.
Together, the labs tested 672,342 samples for HPAI from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, including more than 200,000 poultry samples, the PDA added. To help with all this testing, Shapiro secured $6 million in his 2024-25 budget to expand the laboratory system to add Penn State’s Beaver Campus as the fourth lab in the system.
The new lab will increase Pennsylvania’s capacity to respond to animal disease outbreaks, ultimately speeding diagnoses, lowering business costs, and helping protect farms in the western part of the state, the PDA said. To support the operations in the new lab, $2 million of Shapiro’s proposed $11 million in his 2026-27 budget for Agricultural Preparedness and Response is being invested into the lab.
Additionally, Shapiro’s first signed piece of legislation in 2025 updated the state’s animal health laws to help meet poultry industry needs and expanding eligibility to include those who are legally eligible to work in the U.S., instead of limiting it to citizens only.
The amendment will increase the number of workers needed to fight this disease and expand the types of samples that can be drawn to test for HPAI.
Gov. Shapiro added that he understands that Pennsylvania’s economic success depends on the state’s rural communities and farms because Pennsylvania’s agriculture industry provides nearly 600,000 jobs and $132.5 billion annually to the state’s economy.
For more information on Pennsylvania’s avian influenza prevention and response resources, visit https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pda/animals/diseases/avian-influenza.
