Avian flu found at Jay County turkey farm
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For the first time in nearly a year, a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) has been detected at an Indiana turkey farm. The State Board of Animal Health says the new case involves a commercial turkey operation in Jay County, though the name of the farm was not released.
Jay County is located northeast of Muncie along the Indiana-Ohio border.
The turkey farm has more than 20,000 birds in its flock and has been placed under quarantine. The board has established a 10-kilometer control area around the farm, which covers portions of Jay and Adams counties.
Officials will test nearby flocks to ensure the virus has not spread into other areas, the board said.
“We will be requiring permits for any poultry or poultry product movements in or out of that area,” Denise Derrer Spears, public information director with the Board of Animal Health, told Hoosier Ag Today. “There are companies up there that are producing eggs that need to ship to make it to grocery stores. Before they can move, there has to be a negative test that happens for the flock to make sure that they won’t be moving any virus. And so, we’ve got testing that’s happening on a daily basis for the farms up there because a lot of those operations, they’ve got daily shipments, and they have to keep in business.”
The last instance of a positive test for avian flu was Feb. 23, 2024, in a non-commercial turkey flock in Allen County. The board said HPAI has been identified on more than 1,300 premises in all 50 states—including several in Indiana—since February 2022.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says while avian influenza is a major threat to the poultry industry, the virus does not present a danger to food safety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says poultry cooked to a safe internal temperature kills bacteria and viruses.