LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. (WHP) — A highly contagious bird flu is sweeping through Lancaster County and beyond, killing more than 7.6 million birds statewide since the start of the year.
“We are obviously in crisis mode when it comes to high-path avian influenza,” said Governor Josh Shapiro during a roundtable with farmers and agriculture leaders in Lancaster.
This is the hardest the region has been hit by avian flu in decades, state officials said.
In response, the Shapiro administration is deploying nearly $60 million through what the governor called the nation’s only dedicated Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) Recovery Fund. Pennsylvania remains the only state in the nation with a dedicated HPAI Recovery Fund, designed to help poultry producers stabilize and recover from devastating losses.
“My administration is working around the clock to expand our rapid response efforts and mitigate this surge. We are deploying more personnel, expanding our testing ability, and coordinating closely with the federal government and our industry partners to ensure we have our poultry farmers’ backs every step of the way,” said Shapiro.
The roundtable was held at the PennAg Industries Rapid Response Center in Lancaster, where state and federal teams coordinate containment efforts.
When a case is detected, animal health teams immediately quarantine affected sites, conduct testing and oversee cleaning and disinfection to prevent further spread.
More than 100 personnel are now assigned to mitigating the outbreak, including state veterinarians, Penn State Extension experts and 42 USDA employees. The state’s Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System has processed more than 672,000 avian flu tests over the past year. Since infections surged in recent weeks, 8,000 tests have been conducted in just six weeks.
Beyond containment, state officials say recovery is a major focus.
“When the virus hits, they suffer a tremendous financial blow overnight,” said Russell Redding, secretary of agriculture. “They are working round the clock under tremendous strain.”
The state is covering lost revenue for producers forced to temporarily halt operations due to infections or nearby quarantines. Farmers are also encouraged to use the state’s Farmer Mental Health Hotline.
Major questions remain about whether and when a vaccine will be widely available, and how vaccination could affect international trade, since some European markets do not typically accept poultry products from vaccinated birds.
“No one has an immediate answer on it,” Shapiro said. “I think everyone has identified the challenge, and we’re going to work through it. Our administration is going to continue to work with our federal partners on this.”
As quarantines continue along the Route 283 corridor from Manheim to Lancaster city, state officials are urging poultry producers to reinforce biosecurity, limit farm access and report unexplained illness immediately.
For now, Shapiro said, the message to farmers is simple: “We have your backs.”