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Farm leaders applaud action against bird flu

HARRISBURG, Pennsylvania — Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-Pa.) took the threat of avian flu head-on at a town hall at the 109th annual Pennsylvania Farm Show, saying that as highly pathogenic avian influenza spreads to dairy in other states, his administration would remain proactive and aggressive in establishing a nation-leading surveillance-testing system for milk at the processor level.

“Because of our aggressive approach to testing and quarantine plans, we successfully reduced the threat of avian flu and haven’t had a positive test after taking over 10,000 milk samples,” he said.

Dan Hougentogler, the top animal disease expert who specializes in poultry diseases, emergency response, biosecurity education and implementation, said Pennsylvania is one of the four top egg-producing states in the country, along with Ohio, Indiana and Iowa. He said Shapiro has been proactive in protective actions that have helped keep livestock and farmers safe.

Walk all along the cavernous Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, and you will be surrounded by interactive exhibits, with farmers young and not so young displaying and educating visitors from across the commonwealth and neighboring states about the importance of the biggest economic driver in the state: agriculture.

However, live bird exhibits are limited to the birds headed to market, and Farm Show visitors are restricted from handling or petting the birds. The governor’s office said farmers exhibiting live animals at the Farm Show must present a certificate of veterinary inspection signed by an accredited veterinarian within 30 days prior to their arrival.

Chris Herr, executive vice president of PennAG, an agriculture trade organization, said preventive measures are necessary to curtail the disease.

“Pennsylvania has been on high alert since the first outbreak of HPAI three years ago; that has included quarantines that makes sure it doesn’t spread to other livestock,” he said.

Hougentogler explained that avian flu, or bird flu, is a highly contagious disease with a high mortality rate among the poultry population: “When hit, it causes a high decrease in production, which then causes often devastating economic losses for the farmer and adds to the impact inflation has had with diesel fuel, which causes egg prices to skyrocket.”

Agriculture is a major economic driver in Pennsylvania. According to data from the governor’s office, the agriculture sector contributes $132 billion annually to Pennsylvania’s economy and supports more than 580,000 jobs statewide. And those are just the direct jobs. Talk to anyone at the Farm Show, and they’ll say agribusiness casts a wide net with spillover economic effects as well.

There are farm products at the local feed stores and suppliers, as well as trucking services, mechanics, veterinary services, manufacturing and the natural gas industry. The list goes on and on. These workers then use their wages to invest in local economies.

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