Agriculture Deputy Secretary for Animal Health and Food Safety Lisa Graybeal led a tour of the Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory – one of three labs that are the first line of defense in the ongoing battle against Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). Graybeal, along with poultry experts and farmers whose flocks have been hit by the virus, reminded poultry producers that biosecurity is their best prevention, and in the event their flocks are infected, HPAI Recovery Grants are available to help them recover from their losses and get back to business.
Almost always fatal to birds, the virus poses tremendous risk to the poultry industry, one of the top three sectors in Pennsylvania’s $132.5 billion agriculture industry. More than 1,319 of Pennsylvania’s 10,361 poultry farms are in Lancaster County, where a state-led team of experts is responding to confirmed infections at six locations, with a total of 57,900 birds affected.
Since February 2022, when the outbreak of the current strain began, Pennsylvania has lost more than 7.1 million birds in 41 commercial flocks and 59 backyard flocks in 23 counties.
“Testing to monitor and detect Hi-Path Avian Influenza has been an indispensable tool to minimize the damage during what has been the biggest animal health crisis in American history,” said Deputy Secretary Graybeal. “Pennsylvania’s highly skilled, dedicated team of experts working in the veterinary labs, barns, and fields across the state has been unwavering in their devotion to our farmers. And the Shapiro Administration has been unwavering in our support for Pennsylvania farmers, bringing the right people, and the right funding and resources to the table help them recover.”
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s Pennsylvania Veterinary Laboratory is one of three labs making up the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System – a key part of the Shapiro Administration’s effort to fight HPAI - along with Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences’ Animal Diagnostic Laboratory in University Park, and the New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine in Kennett Square.
Source : pa.gov