Georgia agriculture commissioner details HPAI response, hemp enforcement and funding needs; requests construction cash for new lab

Commissioner Tyler Harper of the Georgia Department of Agriculture briefed the House Agriculture & Consumer Affairs committee on the agency’s recent emergency responses, enforcement activity and budget requests, saying the department needs additional resources to sustain licensing, inspections and laboratory capacity.

Harper opened with an agency overview, noting the department employs about 570 people across more than 22 divisions, issues roughly 70 license types and operates on an approximate 80/20 split of state and federal funding. He said attached entities — including veterinary and poultry labs, commodity commissions and the state fair authority — rely on the department as a pass‑through funding mechanism.

Harper said the department recently confirmed two cases of high‑path avian influenza (HPAI) on broiler breeder farms in Walker County and immediately activated its agricultural emergency operations center to mount a response. ‘‘We hit the ground running,’’ Harper said, describing site operations that at times included ‘‘upwards of 70 people’’ from the department, integrators and contractors. He described biosecurity protocols, the use of Tyvek suits…