poultry farmer

An outbreak of H5 avian influenza was confirmed by United States health agencies in mid-2024. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the public health risk is currently low - but states are still monitoring the progression.

Agricultural officials across the state are urging people who keep domestic poultry to practice proper biosecurity measures amid an outbreak of bird flu. A strain of bird flu called Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, or HPAI, has impacted flocks in 29 Missouri counties since 2022 and led to millions of birds being euthanized.

Farmers and agriculture officials are gearing up for another round of bird flu this fall, an outbreak they fear could be worse than the devastating spring crisis that hit turkeys and egg-laying hens in the Midwest, wiped out entire farms and sent egg prices sky-high.The potential target of the highly pathogenic avian flu this fall could be broilers, or meat chickens, as the outbreaks have been triggered and carried by wild birds, which will be flying south in great numbers this fall through several U.S. flyways.