DARKE/MERCER COUNTIES — A High Path Avian Influenza outbreak, otherwise known as bird flu, has resulted in the death of millions of commercial chickens and turkeys in Darke and Mercer counties.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, over 3.7 million commercial chickens and more than 86,000 commercial turkeys in these counties were confirmed positive for bird flu on Jan. 23 and Jan. 24.
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Approximately 6,050,026 commercial birds have tested positive for bird flu in the Miami Valley this year, according to a previous News Center 7 report.
Barb Bateman lives in Darke County. She’s concerned about the rise of bird flu in her area.
“It’s sad,” Bateman said. “I just hate hearing anything drastic like that happen to anybody.”
The Ohio Department of Agriculture’s (ODA) procedure is to quarantine the impacted facilities and to depopulate, or kill, the birds to prevent the disease from spreading.
News Center 7 spoke with ODA director Brian Baldrige about this process.
“Depopulation phase and then a composting phase, and making sure that we are capturing and keeping the high path outbreak on these premises,” Baldridge said.
Some farmers who live near the impacted farms said the depopulated birds are making the area smell bad.
Other farmers said they are worried the illness will spread.
“Department of Agriculture staff is on these premises. We have USDA staff on these premises following the best guidelines that have been put in place,” Baldridge said.
News Center 7 reached out to some of the farms impacted by bird flu, but they directed crews to a statement released by the Ohio Poultry Association.
“Ohio’s egg, chicken and turkey farmers are committed to caring for their flocks and doing all that is possible to prevent the introduction of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on their farms. HPAI is devastating to farmers and the birds they raise.
Extensive on-farm biosecurity and stringent disease prevention practices in place are effective, but not foolproof, and the migration of wild birds and waterfowl spreading the disease have led to continued cases of bird flu in Ohio’s commercial poultry flocks.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and USDA have been supporting farmers in counties affected by this virus. These farms are working closely with federal and state officials to take necessary precautions and emergency measures to prevent the disease from spreading further.
It is important to know that both USDA and FDA confirm that HPAI cannot be transmitted through safely handled and thoroughly cooked meat or eggs, and the CDC reinforces the risk of HPAI to public health remains low.
OPA urges all poultry owners to remain in a heightened state of biosecurity and disease prevention practices, including limiting on-farm visitors and vehicles. We greatly value the support and guidance of USDA and the Ohio Department of Agriculture as we navigate this difficult time.
— Jim Chakeres, Executive Vice President, Ohio Poultry Association
The ODA said they are hopeful that the spread is over, but there is no way to tell as the numbers continue to increase.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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