HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania has reached a significant “stage four” milestone in the USDA’s National Milk Testing Strategy, marking it as the first major dairy-producing state to achieve HPAI-free status. This designation ensures that comprehensive testing has ruled out the presence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the state’s dairy cattle, safeguarding the milk supply and bolstering the state’s agriculture industry.
This achievement stems from intensive collaboration between the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and federal, industry, and academic partners. Since the testing mandate was introduced in late November 2024, the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System (PADLS) has processed over 22,000 bulk milk samples, covering nearly all of the state’s 4,784 dairy farms. These efforts followed the first detection of HPAI in dairy cattle in Texas in March 2024, prompting Pennsylvania to act swiftly by initiating testing requirements and transportation restrictions for dairy cattle. The state also launched an innovative voluntary testing program for lactating dairy cows.
Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding applauded the milestone as a critical step in ensuring the safety of Pennsylvania’s food supply while acknowledging the challenges ahead. “Pennsylvania’s food supply is safe and secure, due to a unified, aggressive, and effective response strategy,” said Redding. “We are not out of the woods yet, and the threat demands that we keep our guard up. But strategic, commonsense investments by the Shapiro Administration, combined with critical partnerships across our state and federal agencies and industries, have made a very real difference.”
Funding from bipartisan-supported budgets over the past two years has played a crucial role in mitigating losses in the poultry sector while protecting the dairy industry. Governor Josh Shapiro’s proposed 2025-26 budget aims to build on this progress, with strategic investments to sustain Pennsylvania’s leadership in agriculture. HPAI remains a threat to both birds and cattle in other states, as underscored by a recent detection of a new H5N1 strain in Nevada dairy cattle.
To date, Pennsylvania has not reported any HPAI cases in dairy cattle or humans, but the Department of Agriculture continues rigorous testing and disease monitoring. The outbreak of HPAI, which began in February 2022, has been devastating to the poultry industry, with over 157 million birds lost nationwide. Pennsylvania alone has seen the loss of more than 2.2 million birds across 12 affected flocks this year.
Despite these challenges, Pennsylvania remains under a general quarantine to curb the virus’s spread. Poultry producers have been urged to review and enhance biosecurity measures as the state continues its comprehensive response to presumed infections.
This milestone highlights Pennsylvania’s leadership and commitment to safeguarding its agriculture sectors, but officials emphasized the need for sustained vigilance. With continued investments and collaboration, Pennsylvania aims to maintain its status as a national leader in dairy and poultry production while protecting the health and livelihood of its agricultural communities.
The national status of HPAI and state-by-state details, including confirmed cases in Pennsylvania domestic poultry and backyard birds, are available on the USDA’s website.
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