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Eastern Shore officials report large avian flu outbreak, stress inspections and biosecurity
Summary
Maryland agriculture officials and Rep. Andy Harris said high-pathogenic avian influenza has affected hundreds of thousands of birds across Delmarva; state and federal teams are training inspectors and deploying surveillance zones while farmers press for faster access to testing and processing guidance.
Rep. Andy Harris, U.S. representative for Maryland's Eastern Shore, and Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA) Secretary Kevin Atticks said Jan. 24 that the region is confronting a serious outbreak of high-pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and that state and federal agencies are working to contain it.
The outbreak has prompted surveillance and control zones around infected farms and a push to certify more inspectors so poultry houses can be audited and restocked. "There have been, 650,000 birds affected in Maryland, 320,000 in Delaware, 440 in Virginia," Secretary Kevin Atticks said, describing the regional totals and emphasizing biosecurity.
Why it matters: poultry is a major Eastern Shore industry; extended depopulation or delays in restarting houses can disrupt farm cash flow, feed chains and processing. Farmers told officials they need inspections and clearer turnaround times to avoid financial collapse at small operations.
Officials described a two-part response. Harris said he has been pressing federal officials and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to clarify what financial relief and operational support will be available, noting that "there is there is no poultry insurance. We have crop insurance. We don't have poultry insurance." Atticks said MDA has trained four staff members to perform audit-style inspections and is coordinating with USDA and neighboring states to expand that capacity.
Atticks described zones and measures in place: control and surveillance rings around infected premises, coordinated sampling of wild birds, and outreach to producers about biosecurity and farm-level cleaning before restocking. He said some farms in Dorchester, Caroline and Queen Anne’s counties had been affected and that teams were working 24/7 with counterparts in Delaware and Virginia.
Farmers on the call urged faster inspections and clearer public information. Several members asked whether the number of farms in control radii had increased; Atticks said the count had risen and that precise ledger numbers would be available in subsequent briefings. He cautioned that the new USDA inspection requirements had been rolled out quickly and that USDA is certifying state personnel so local inspectors can help.
Officials stressed that wild waterfowl remain a central transmission risk. "When they're flying back and forth, flying over the chicken houses, we, you know, it's going to be coming down to biosecurity is going to be the answer," Atticks said.
Next steps and outstanding questions: MDA and USDA will continue training additional inspectors, expand surveillance where needed and publish updated lists of affected zones and farms. Atticks and several delegation members said they would seek clearer public-facing maps and guidance so producers know whether they are inside regulated zones and what steps will be required to return birds to production.
No formal votes or regulatory changes were taken at the meeting; participants asked for regular operational updates from MDA and USDA.
