The Georgia Department of Agriculture, working in coordination with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, has confirmed a second case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a commercial poultry flock in Walker County.
The confirmation marks the second detection of HPAI in a commercial poultry operation in Georgia in 2026 and the fifth overall detection in the state since the nationwide outbreak began in February 2022.
The affected operation, identified as Walker 02, is located within the existing HPAI control area and housed approximately 16,000 broiler breeder chickens. State and federal response teams accelerated on-site operations to protect animal health, safeguard personnel, and prevent further spread of the virus, particularly with inclement weather forecast across North Georgia this weekend. Depopulation at the Walker 02 facility was completed Friday, Jan. 23…