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Pennsylvania poultry producers urge sustained biosecurity funding after major HPAI losses
Summary
Egg and poultry industry representatives told state legislators that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) caused severe flock losses nationwide and in Pennsylvania and called for continued state biosecurity grants, rapid-response capacity and streamlined permitting to support recovery and future growth.
Representatives from Pennsylvaniaegg and poultry operations told the Senate and House Agriculture & Rural Affairs committee that highly pathogenic avian influenza has devastated flocks nationwide and strained small-family producers, and they asked state leaders to maintain and expand biosecurity and recovery programs.
"This year alone, we've lost nationwide 40,000,000 hens and pullets and since 2022 we've lost 137,000,000 total," said Chris Pierce, president of Heritage Poultry Management Services, describing industry losses and resulting retail price spikes. Pierce said Pennsylvania experienced significant commercial and backyard flock impacts in 2022 and credited state diagnostic and response systems for limiting worse outcomes.
Why it matters: Witnesses said elevated disease risk has both acute financial effects (depopulation and lost production) and longer-term impacts on consumer prices and farm continuity; they asked lawmakers to preserve funding that supports recovery and biosecurity investments.
Pierce and other poultry witnesses described several state programs: a high-path AI recovery fund to help affected farm families meet ongoing operating expenses; biosecurity grant programs; and diagnostic-lab coordination (Penn Stateanimal diagnostic labs or "PADDLES") that supports rapid detection and response. "Pennsylvania has awarded more than $14.5 million to hundreds of farmers over the past 3 years," Tessa Applegate of Clark's Feed Mill said while describing HPAI recovery reimbursement and biosecurity grants that have covered disinfectant systems and deterrents.
Poultry speakers also emphasized the operational stress of depopulation when HPAI is detected and the need for fast, coordinated euthanasia and disposal to avoid further spread. "That virus will go out," Pierce said of infected farms, "...the calling of the birds...has to happen as a line in the sand." He and others said that quick action, combined with lab and field capacity, prevents far larger outbreaks.
Both poultry operators and feed-mill representatives urged state action on permitting delays and inconsistent township regulations that raise construction costs for new housing and deter young producers. "Permitting is worse today than it was before COVID," Applegate said, and witnesses asked for more consistent township practices and expedited review pathways.
Ending: Poultry witnesses thanked legislators for recent funds and urged continued support for biosecurity, the HPAI recovery fund and programs that reduce permitting friction for new and expanding operations.
