DES MOINES, IOWA – Governor Kim Reynolds signed a disaster proclamation for Buena Vista County in northwest Iowa after highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed in a commercial turkey flock. At least 50,000 birds were culled, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship.

“The Iowa Department of Agriculture and USDA APHIS are working diligently with producers to trace back, control and eradicate this disease from our state,” said Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig. “Protecting the health of our livestock and Iowa’s agriculture-based economy are our top priorities.”

Samples from the flock were tested at the Iowa State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, both part of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the US Department of Agriculture said. The APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) in Ames, Iowa confirmed the findings.

The proclamation will mobilize resources from Iowa Homeland Security, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship and other agencies to assist with tracking and monitoring outbreaks, rapid detection, containment, disposal, and disinfection. The proclamation, effective immediately through April 5, 2022, also waives regulatory provisions related to commercial vehicles responding to affected sites.

The Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention state that the HPAI detections do not present an immediate public health concern and it’s safe to eat poultry products. This is the second confirmed case in Iowa. On March 1, a positive case was confirmed in a backyard, non-commercial flock in Pottawattamie County.