The Arkansas Department of Agriculture has issued a warning to poultry growers after confirming Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in a backyard flock in Mississippi County last month. This is the first confirmed case in Arkansas. Neighboring states have also reported cases, which shows the continued risk to the region’s poultry industry.
HPAI is a contagious virus that can cause illness or sudden death in domestic and wild birds. The disease can affect Arkansas’s poultry sector, which generated $6.7 billion in direct agricultural cash receipts in 2024. A single case may disrupt trade and local food supply chains…