Georgia - Avian influenza in poultry 2025-2026

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https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestoc...za/hpai-detections/commercial-backyard-flocks

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Georgia Department of Agriculture
Tyler J Harper, Commissioner
19 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SW
Atlanta, GA 30334

Wed, Jan 14 2026

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Confirmed in Commercial Poultry Flock in Walker County


WALKER COUNTY, GA – Today, the Georgia Department of Agriculture, together with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA - APHIS), confirmed a case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) at a commercial poultry operation in Walker County, Georgia. This marks the first confirmed HPAI case in 2026 and the fourth case at a commercial poultry operation in Georgia since the ongoing, nationwide outbreak began in February 2022.

“For the first time this year, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has been confirmed in a commercial poultry operation here in Georgia,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper. “Avian influenza poses a serious threat to Georgia’s #1 industry and to the thousands of Georgians whose livelihoods depend on poultry production; GDA deployed immediately, and our staff is working around the clock to prevent any further spread, protect our state’s poultry flock, and ensure minimal impact to other producers and Georgia consumers.”

On Sunday, January 11th, 2026, the producer noticed signs of increased mortality in their flock and contacted the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network (GPLN). Samples were collected and transported to the GPLN for testing on Monday, January 12th, 2026. A positive HPAI detection was confirmed by GPLN on Monday evening and further confirmed by USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory on Tuesday, January 13th, 2026.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture’s Emergency Management Team immediately deployed to the affected premises to conduct depopulation, disposal, cleaning, and disinfection on Tuesday, January 13th, 2026. The affected premises housed approximately 71,264 broiler breeders, and operations are expected to continue throughout the week.

All commercial poultry operations within a 10 Kilometer (6.2 mile) radius have been placed under quarantine and will undergo surveillance testing for a period of at least two weeks. In order to prevent any further spread, the affected premises have been secured by GDA Law Enforcement, and only authorized personnel may enter.

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https://agr.georgia.gov/pr/highly-p...firmed-commercial-poultry-flock-walker-county

 

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Georgia Department of Agriculture
Tyler J Harper, Commissioner
19 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SW
Atlanta, GA 30334

Sat, Jan 24 2026

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Confirmed in 2nd Commercial Poultry Flock in Walker County


WALKER COUNTY, GA – Today, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA), in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS), confirmed a positive case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a second commercial poultry flock in Walker County, Georgia. This marks the second detection of HPAI in a commercial poultry operation in Georgia in 2026 and the fifth detection overall since the nationwide outbreak began in February 2022. The affected premises, designated Walker 02, is located within the existing Control Area and housed approximately 16,000 broiler breeder chickens. In response—and amid forecasted inclement weather expected across North Georgia this weekend—state and federal response teams have accelerated on-site operations to protect animal health, safeguard personnel, and prevent further spread of the virus. As a result of this swift response, depopulation at Walker 02 was completed on Friday, January 23, 2026.

“Through routine surveillance testing, a second commercial poultry operation in Walker County has been confirmed positive for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Control area testing is critical to identifying the virus as early as possible and limiting its spread into the environment,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper. “HPAI poses a serious threat to Georgia’s number one industry and to the thousands of Georgians whose livelihoods depend on poultry production. The Georgia Department of Agriculture deployed immediately to Walker 02, and our teams are working around the clock to contain the virus, protect our state’s poultry flock, and minimize impacts to other producers and Georgia consumers.”

On Thursday, January 22, 2026, premovement samples were collected from the commercial poultry operation and the Georgia Poultry Lab Network (GPLN) returned a presumptive positive result for HPAI. This early notification allowed GDA to immediately initiate on-site response operations in accordance with animal disease response protocols, without waiting for confirmatory testing from the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory (NVSL). Public announcement of an HPAI detection requires confirmation from NVSL, which was received late in the afternoon on January 23, 2026. While NVSL testing provides additional information about the virus strain, it does not change the GDA’s required response, which mandates immediate action to contain the disease through depopulation, disposal, and cleaning and disinfecting operations that remain ongoing.

All commercial poultry operations within a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) control area remain under quarantine and are subject to enhanced surveillance testing. Due to the proximity of the Walker 01 and Walker 02 premises, the control area was expanded to include five additional farms. Movement of poultry, poultry products, and related materials into, out of, or within the control area is strictly prohibited without a permit issued by GDA. To further prevent the spread of the disease, the affected premises have been secured by GDA Law Enforcement, and access is limited exclusively to authorized personnel.

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https://agr.georgia.gov/pr/highly-p...ed-2nd-commercial-poultry-flock-walker-county

 

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https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestoc...za/hpai-detections/commercial-backyard-flocks

 

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Georgia Department of Agriculture
Tyler J Harper, Commissioner
19 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SW
Atlanta, GA 30334

Wed, Jan 28 2026

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Confirmed in Commercial Poultry Flock in Hart County

HART COUNTY, GA – Today, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) announced a positive case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a commercial poultry flock in Hart County, Georgia. This marks the third detection of HPAI in a commercial poultry operation in Georgia in 2026 and the sixth detection overall since the nationwide outbreak began in February 2022. Out of an abundance of caution and due to severe winter weather, on site operations at Hart 01 began on Tuesday, January 27th, 2026, and are being conducted concurrently with GDA’s operations in Walker County.

“With severe cold weather persisting and migratory waterfowl continuing to pass through our state, it is not unexpected to see an uptick in HPAI cases. Biosecurity is our best defense against HPAI, and we’re encouraging producers around Georgia to ensure they continue to implement Gold Standard biosecurity protocols,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper. “Our teams are working around the clock to contain the virus, protect our state’s poultry flock, and minimize any impacts to other producers and Georgia consumers. There is no threat to the safety of our food supply at this time, and no deceased birds ever entered the supply chain.”

On Saturday, January 24th, 2026, the producer noticed signs of increased mortality in their flock and contacted the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network (GPLN). Samples were collected, transported to GPLN for testing, and returned a presumptive positive for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza that same day. Due to inclement weather, delivery of the samples to USDA’s National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, IA, have been delayed. The presumptive positive from GPLN allows GDA to immediately begin response operations. The affected premises is a broiler-breeder operations with approximately 39,600 birds at the time of detection.

All commercial poultry operations within a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) control area remain under quarantine and are subject to enhanced surveillance testing. Movement of poultry, poultry products, and related materials into, out of, or within the control area is strictly prohibited without a permit issued by GDA. To further prevent the spread of the disease, the affected premises have been secured by GDA Law Enforcement, and access is limited exclusively to authorized personnel.

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https://agr.georgia.gov/pr/highly-p...onfirmed-commercial-poultry-flock-hart-county
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https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestoc...za/hpai-detections/commercial-backyard-flocks

 

[Commonground]

Avian influenza strikes again in Georgia
February 3, 2026

Excerpt:

The 2026 HPAI cases in Georgia have essentially doubled the number of commercial poultry flocks in the state to be affected by the virus. In 2025, two broiler flocks and one broiler breeder flock in Georgia were struck. Those flocks were in Ebert and Gordon County.​

https://www.wattagnet.com/poultry-m...6206/avian-influenza-strikes-again-in-georgia

 

[Lance]

​wahis.woah.org/#/in-review/4309

 

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Georgia Department of Agriculture
Tyler J Harper, Commissioner
19 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SW
Atlanta, GA 30334

Fri, Apr 17 2026

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Confirmed in Backyard Flock in Pierce County, Georgia


PIERCE COUNTY, GA – Today, the Georgia Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed a positive case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a non-commercial, backyard (non-poultry) flock in Pierce County, Georgia. The affected flock—comprised of approximately 60 chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys—has been depopulated as part of standard response protocols to prevent further spread of the disease.

“We are working around the clock to protect our state’s poultry industry. Our team acted swiftly to respond to the detection of HPAI, implement containment protocols, and limit the potential spread of the disease,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper. “In Georgia, we have maintained strong biosecurity measures since the nationwide HPAI outbreak began in 2022. To date, the outbreak has impacted more than 206 million birds nationwide, with less than 0.25 percent of those cases occurring in Georgia—the nation’s top poultry producer. This underscores the effectiveness of strong biosecurity practices and the dedication of our animal health professionals and poultry producers.”

Beginning Friday, April 10, 2026, the flock owner observed increased mortality and contacted the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network (GPLN) on Tuesday, April 14. On Wednesday, April 15, staff from the Georgia Department of Agriculture and GPLN were dispatched to the premises to collect samples, which were submitted to the UGA Tifton Veterinary Diagnostic & Investigational Laboratory (TVDIL) for initial testing. Samples were identified as non-negative for HPAI on the same day. The results were subsequently confirmed as positive by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) on Friday, April 17.

Depopulation, disposal, cleaning & disinfection operations were completed on Thursday, April 16, 2026, to mitigate further spread of the disease. It is most likely that transmission occurred through contact with wild birds or viral material shed by wild birds into the environment. There are no commercial poultry or dairy cattle operations located within a 10 Kilometer (6.2 mile) radius around the affected premises.

Owners of poultry flocks are strongly encouraged to closely observe their birds and report a sudden increase in the number of sick birds or bird deaths to the Avian Influenza Hotline at 770-766-6850.

For more information regarding biosecurity visit:
Protect Your Flock (Georgia Dept. of Ag)
Defend the Flock - Resource Center (USDA APHIS)
AI Information for Hunters (USDA)
Avian Influenza FAQ

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https://www.agr.georgia.gov/pr/high...onfirmed-backyard-flock-pierce-county-georgia

 

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https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestoc...za/hpai-detections/commercial-backyard-flocks