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Arizona - Avian influenza in poultry 2024-2025

Shiloh

Shiloh

Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: https://www.azfamily.com/2024/11/15/confirmed-case-bird-flu-found-pinal-county-farm-officials-say/

Confirmed case of bird flu found at Pinal County farm, officials say
By AZFamily Digital News Staff and The Associated Press
Published: Nov. 15, 2024 at 4:29 PM EST|Updated: 37 minutes ago

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The Arizona Department of Agriculture has confirmed that poultry at a farm in Pinal County tested positive for avian influenza, also known as bird flu.

Details are limited, but officials say the birds began showing signs of the illness on Monday, and samples were taken to determine and confirm the diagnosis.

Officials say eggs produced after the animals started showing signs of illness have not entered the food supply...


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Pinal County, Arizona
/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinal_County,_Arizona
------------------------------

DIRECTOR PAUL BRIERLEY GOVERNOR KATIE HOBBS

Arizona Department of Agriculture

1110 W. Washington Street, Suite 450 Phoenix, AZ 85007
(602) 542-4373

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWS RELEASE DATE: November 15, 2024

MEDIA CONTACT: Rachel Andrews < mail to: randrews@azda.gov
Chief Legislative Liaison and Public Information Officer (602) 531-3666

Avian Influenza Detection

Phoenix, AZ – Poultry at a commercial farm located in Pinal County have tested positive for Avian
Influenza. When the poultry began showing clinical signs consistent with avian influenza on
November 11, 2024, samples from the location were submitted to the Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic
Lab (AZVDL) for preliminary determination, then submitted to the National Veterinary Services
Laboratory (NVSL) for confirmation. Eggs produced after the onset of illness have not entered the
food supply. Consumers in Arizona and around the nation can remain confident in the safety and
quality of eggs and egg products. The Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) has ensured a
quick response to alleviate any supply chain challenges.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the risk to the general public is
considered to be low with those most at risk of exposure being individuals working on a commercial
farm, directly involved with the daily care and husbandry of the birds. Information regarding
protective actions for workers and the monitoring of avian influenza can be found on the CDC’s
website, updated regularly.

"ADHS is collaborating with AZDA in the response to avian influenza and will continue to monitor
influenza activity in Arizona in collaboration with local health departments. While the risk to the
general public remains low, workers and individuals that may be at risk for exposure to avian
influenza should follow public health guidance,"said Nicole Witt, ADHS Assistant Director of
Preparedness.

The affected poultry farm has been placed under quarantine on the recommendation of the Director
of the AZDA and the AZDA State Veterinarian. Enhanced biosecurity measures are in place and
efforts are underway to perform virus elimination. All applicable sanitation responses have been
quickly implemented. Our dedicated and experienced team continues to monitor the situation closely
to ensure consumer protection is always maintained.

Sick Bird Hotline: If you see signs of illness in your poultry, report them immediately to USDA at
1-866-536-7593. You can also contact your local cooperative extension office, local veterinarian, or
your State Veterinarian. For wild bird illness, please contact the Arizona Game and Fish Department.

https://agriculture.az.gov/sites/default/files/Avian Influenza Press Release - AZDA.pdf

https://agriculture.az.gov/news/press-release-111524
 
Source: https://www.azfamily.com/2024/11/25/bird-flu-cases-confirmed-maricopa-county-health-officials-say/

Bird flu cases confirmed in Maricopa County, health officials say
By AZFamily Digital News Staff
Published: Nov. 25, 2024 at 6:16 PM EST|Updated: 9 minutes ago

PHOENIX (AZFamily/AP) — Multiple cases of the avian flu (bird flu) have been confirmed in Maricopa County, according to federal health officials.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 36 birds in Maricopa County tested positive for the virus, although details from the Arizona Department of Health Services has not yet been released.​..
 
Bird flu found in Maricopa County, but no eggs got into the food supply, AZ officials say

​May 20, 2025
The state has identified bird flu at a commercial poultry operation in Maricopa County, but agriculture officials said there is no evidence that any eggs produced by the flock have entered the food supply.

The May 20 announcement from the Arizona Department of Agriculture came as the impact of the virus on egg prices has slowly eased and prices have trended downward.

The news release did not identify the business where the flu was detected on May 15. The National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed positive test results produced by the state lab on May 19.
​
https://www.yahoo.com/news/bird-flu-found-maricopa-county-024717020.html
 
Published: May 30, 2025 at 6:22 PM EDT|Updated: 14 hours ago​

Hickman’s Family Farms loses 95% of Arizona chickens to bird flu

The Buckeye-based farm is planning force reduction



BUCKEYE, AZ (AZFamily) — A West Valley farm and one of the largest egg producers in the U.S. confirmed on Friday that it has lost nearly its entire chicken population in Arizona due to bird flu and will be forced to reduce staff.

“I’m here today to tell you that we’ve lost 95% of the chickens we have in the state,” said Glenn Hickman, the Hickman’s Family Farms’president and CEO, explaining that staff tried to contain the situation to one farm.

He says hens at one of the farms began showing symptoms two weeks ago. Swabs were sent to the University of Arizona for analysis, and bird flu was detected.

“We shut down all traffic between farms and all personnel; everything we possibly could do to isolate that farm, and it didn’t work,” Hickman explained. “We’ve been slowly losing the other three farms plus our replacement pullet flock over the past two weeks.”

About six million birds were lost. Hickman says it’s the first time in 81 years that the company has been unable to fulfill 100% of customer demands and is working to find alternative suppliers to keep Arizona stores and restaurants stocked.

Hickman also announced a reduction in force. The egg producer has approximately 850 employees, including contract workers and state inmates.

“They all have families and unfortunately, they’re going to be impacted by our inability to keep everybody employed as we rebuild our farm,” Hickman said.

It’s unclear how many employees will be affected. Hickman says it will take nearly two years to completely repopulate the farms.
-snip-

“We need to access the vaccine that the federal government has already approved. We need to be able to start giving it to our flocks and the quicker that we can start vaccinating our nation’s poultry flock, the quicker that we can get back to normalized operations,” Hickman explained.

Egg prices are expected to rise in the Phoenix area as most of the Valley’s egg supply comes from Arizona, and Hickman’s is the largest egg producer in the Southwest.

With measures in place to eliminate the virus, Hickman says the family’s next priority is prevention.

“If our pullets had been vaccinated when we started lobbying the federal government in January, our pullets would have been saved right now. So we would have been able to restock much more quickly,” he said. “We need to access the vaccine that the federal government has already approved. We need to be able to start giving it to our flocks and the quicker that we can start vaccinating our nation’s poultry flock, the quicker that we can get back to normalized operations.”
​
https://www.azfamily.com/2025/05/30/hickmans-family-farms-loses-95-arizona-chickens-bird-flu/

​
 
May 29, 2025

Hickman Farms Layer Losses in Maricopa County AZ reach 6 Million Birds

​ Will take up to 2 years to return to full production with 95% loss


A West Valley farm and one of the largest egg producers in the U.S. confirmed on Friday that it has lost nearly its entire chicken population in Arizona due to bird flu and will be forced to reduce staff.

“I’m here today to tell you that we’ve lost 95% of the chickens we have in the state,” said Glenn Hickman, the Hickman’s Family Farms’ president and CEO, explaining that staff tried to contain the situation to one farm.

He says hens at one of the farms began showing symptoms two weeks ago. Swabs were sent to the University of Arizona for analysis, and bird flu was detected.

“We shut down all traffic between farms and all personnel; everything we possibly could do to isolate that farm, and it didn’t work,” Hickman explained. “We’ve been slowly losing the other three farms plus our replacement pullet flock over the past two weeks.”

This is a tragic situation for the farm, the birds, and the entire industry. It also shows the speed with which avian influenza can move within a production system, even prior to clinical signs and laboratory diagnosis. I won’t pretend to make wise judgements regarding biosecurity conditions at any of the farms; obviously this virus got through whatever was in place at multiple farms. NVSL has not yet reported 2 of the 4 infected layers, nor the pullet farm to date.

more....


​https://hogvet51.substack.com/p/hickman-farms-layer-losses-in-maricopa

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Last edited by a moderator:
June 2, 2025
Hong Kong: Import of poultry meat and products from Maricopa County of State of Arizona in US suspended​

The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (June 2) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) about an outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Maricopa County of the State of Arizona in the United States (US), the CFS has instructed the trade to suspend the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the area with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

A CFS spokesman said that according to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong imported about 12 290 tonnes of chilled and frozen poultry meat, and about 1.19 million poultry eggs from the US in the first three months of this year.

"The CFS has contacted the American authority over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the WOAH and the relevant authorities on the avian influenza outbreak. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.​

https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202506/02/P2025060200518.htm
 
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