Minnesota: Largest bird losses recorded in severe avian influenza outbreak

In Wright County, Minnesota, a commercial operation that raises laying hens experienced a severe outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), resulting in a higher number of bird losses compared to any other HPAI case this autumn.

Based on a report from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the presence of the virus was confirmed in a flock of 940,000 hens located in Wright County.

This incident marks the 11th farm in Minnesota to be impacted by HPAI during this autumn season, but it is the first time that a layer flock has been affected. In fact, according to APHIS, this is the initial occurrence of HPAI in a layer flock in the year 2023. The previous instance of a layer operation being affected was on December 20, 2022, when 239,700 hens in Weld County, Colorado, were impacted.

Throughout the ongoing HPAI outbreak in the 2022-23 period, Minnesota has witnessed a higher number of affected flocks compared to any other state, with a total of 92 cases reported.