Restrictions and federal help being sought for the state’s poultry producers

By Dusty Sonnenberg, Farm Director, Ohio Ag Net & Ohio’s Country Journal

Since the time highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) first hit Ohio in 2022, approximately 9.4 million chickens were depopulated between that time and Christmas of 2024. In the less than three months since Christmas, another 15.5 million birds have been depopulated according to Ohio Secretary of Agriculture, Brian Baldridge.

As a result of this outbreak and the impact on Ohio’s poultry industry, Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jim Tressel have asked U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to support Ohio’s poultry farmers by backdating the effective date of USDA’s indemnification program. Governor DeWine believes that this is vitally important to restore all premises impacted by avian flu in Ohio to provide enhanced support to the state’s poultry producers.

In his request, Governor DeWine noted that as it currently stands, of the 74 confirmed cases in the past 13 weeks, only 3 would qualify for compensation based on the effective date.… Continue reading