January 1, Rising Bird Flu Hits Georgia Chicken Farm

Wyatt’s Take

• Bird flu strikes Georgia’s poultry business again
• 140,000 chickens affected at one site, many more at risk
• State steps in to contain outbreak, puts nearby farms under watch

A Georgia chicken farm is the third commercial operation in the state this year to test positive for bird flu. The farm spotted sick birds and quickly alerted state officials, who arrived to clean up and disinfect the site.

About 140,000 chickens were kept at this facility. The state put other poultry farms nearby under quarantine and will be testing for sickness for the next two weeks.

“This poses a serious threat to Georgia’s #1 industry and to the thousands of Georgians whose livelihoods depend on poultry production,” said Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper.

Other states have also seen outbreaks in recent weeks, including a large turkey farm in Minnesota and an egg farm in Indiana. The bird flu was first found in a U.S. commercial flock in February 2022.

Federal data shows in the last month, 64 poultry flocks have been hit with the virus, putting nearly 3.5 million birds in danger.

If you want to stay updated on threats to America’s farms, keep reading for the stories that matter most to our communities.

Wyatt Matters

When farmers face threats like bird flu, it hits every dinner table in Middle America. Protecting our agricultural backbone keeps food affordable and folks working. What happens to our farms affects us all.

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