MDARD Encourages Animal Owners to Continue Taking Steps to Prevent HPAI as Wild Birds Migrate this Fall

Sep 19, 2025

By Jennifer Holton

While highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has not been detected in Michigan's domestic animals since March 2025, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) encourages animal owners to remain vigilant and take preventative measures as wild birds that may carry the virus complete their fall migration.

"Since the current outbreak of HPAI began in February 2022, the most common cause of disease spread has been wild birds. As wild birds have started to migrate this year, the virus is already being detected in poultry from North and South Dakota," said State Veterinarian Dr. Nora Wineland, DVM, MS, DACVPM. "With the virus continuing to circulate, owners must actively take measures to protect their animals from being exposed to wild birds and their germs. Keeping Michigan s domestic animals healthy needs to remain a priority."

In 2024, MDARD along with other state, federal, and animal health partners responded to the largest HPAI outbreak in Michigan s history. Beginning with a detection in a dairy herd in late March, the virus impacted 31 dairies, 11 commercial poultry flocks, and two backyard poultry flocks across 15 Michigan counties. There were also two cases of the disease in Michigan farm workers who were working with infected dairy cattle.

So far, in 2025, there have been two HPAI detections in commercial poultry flocks and seven detections in Michigan backyard flocks. For dairy cattle, Michigan was one of the first states to enroll in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Milk Testing Strategy, requiring regular testing for HPAI in all of the state's licensed dairy facilities. In July 2025, Michigan achieved Stage 4 / Unaffected Status, meaning the virus is no longer being detected in the state's dairy cattle herds.

HPAI is a highly contagious virus that can spread in various ways from animal to animal, including through wild birds, contact with infected animals, by equipment, and on the clothing and shoes of caretakers. The disease is also zoonotic, meaning it can affect both animals and people.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the public health risk associated with this disease remains low. People should continue to properly handle and cook all meat and eggs to the correct internal temperature and avoid consuming raw milk.

Source : michigan.gov

Video: Swine Industry Advances: Biodigesters Lower Emissions and Increase Profits

Analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG emissions) in the Canadian swine sector found that CH4 emissions from manure were the largest contributor to the overall emissions, followed by emissions from energy use and crop production.

This innovative project, "Improving Swine Manure-Digestate Management Practices Towards Carbon Neutrality With Net Zero Emission Concepts," from Dr. Rajinikanth Rajagopal, under Swine Cluster 4, seeks to develop strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

While the management of manure can be very demanding and expensive for swine operations, it can also be viewed as an opportunity for GHG mitigation, as manure storage is an emission source built and managed by swine producers. Moreover, the majority of CH4 emissions from manure occur during a short period of time in the summer, which can potentially be mitigated with targeted intervention.

In tandem with understanding baseline emissions, Dr. Rajagopal's work focuses on evaluating emission mitigation options. Manure additives have the potential of reducing manure methane emissions. Additives can be deployed relatively quickly, enabling near-term emission reductions while biodigesters are being built. Furthermore, additives can be a long-term solution at farms where biogas is not feasible (e.g., when it’s too far from a central digester). Similarly, after biodigestion, additives can also be used to further reduce emissions from storage to minimize the carbon intensity of the bioenergy.