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Commissioner: high-path avian influenza remains a national risk; New York monitoring, readiness efforts ongoing
Summary
Lawmakers asked for an update on avian influenza during the Jan. 27 joint budget hearing; Agriculture officials described ongoing surveillance and coordination with federal partners and said New York has not recorded the dairy-associated cases seen elsewhere.
Lawmakers asked for an update on avian influenza during the Jan. 27 joint budget hearing. Commissioner Richard Ball described two related animal-health concerns: traditional poultry/wildfowl high-path avian influenza along migratory flyways and the recent jump of a high-path strain into dairy animals in other states.
Ball said the dairy-associated high-path avian influenza cases were "confined currently to 17 states" and that New York had not yet recorded such cases. On migratory-bird introductions to poultry, he said the state had managed detections previously and was actively working with USDA APHIS.
"We identify very quickly. We work very closely with USDA APHIS on this," Ball said, adding that state veterinarians, including State Veterinarian Dr. Joy Bennett, were central to surveillance and response.
What the department is doing
- Surveillance and response: Ball described emergency-order processes, partnerships with USDA APHIS for testing and depopulation where needed, and indemnification mechanisms that USDA provides for affected producers.
- Preparedness and staffing: The department said it has an experienced animal-health team and field capacity to respond quickly to detections, and that officials are monitoring migratory patterns, dairy operations and suspect detections in regions such as Long Island and Hudson Valley.
Why it matters: High-path avian influenza presents acute agricultural losses for poultry producers and complicates disease control when strains cross to other livestock. Agencies told lawmakers they were prioritizing inspection, testing and coordination with federal partners.
No policy changes or emergency declarations were announced at the hearing; officials said they would report further developments as they arise.
