Georgia Department of Agriculture Lifts Suspension of Poultry Activities, Releases HPAI Control Area

Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper announced that the Georgia Department of Agriculture has lifted the suspension of poultry activities in Georgia and released the HPAI Control Area around the affected premises following the successful completion of testing and response protocols with no additional detections. The two affected premises in Elbert County remain under quarantine until further notice.

“I’m excited to announce that both commercial poultry producers in the control area and poultry enthusiasts across our state can return to normal operations,” said Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler J Harper. “While this announcement is a great step in the right direction, HPAI remains a significant threat to our #1 industry, and the Georgia Department of Agriculture will continue working around the clock to protect our state’s flocks and to keep prices as low as possible for Georgia consumers.”

HPAI Detections at Elbert 01 & Elbert 02:
The Georgia Department of Agriculture received notification of a “non-negative” HPAI test result from the Georgia Poultry Lab Network (GPLN) on the afternoon of Thursday, January 16, 2025. The following morning, the Department was notified of an additional “non-negative” result by GPLN. Those results were further confirmed by USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory on January 17th for Elbert 01 and January 21st for Elbert 02.

The Georgia Department of Agriculture activated its Emergency Operations Center within an hour of the initial notification, and GDA staff began deploying to the Elbert County area on the evening of January 16th. Depopulation, disposal, and cleaning & disinfecting operations at both Elbert 01 & Elbert 02 began on Friday morning January 17, 2025, and were conducted concurrently due to the close proximity of the operations. Georgia Department of Agriculture Law Enforcement officers maintained a biosecurity perimeter around the affected premises to prevent unauthorized access and further spread of the disease.

Suspension of Poultry Activities:
In response to these detections, the Georgia Department of Agriculture immediately suspended all poultry activities involving live birds including sales at auction, flea, or livestock markets, meet ups, swaps, and exhibitions. Following the release of the control area, the suspension has been lifted and poultry activities may resume as normal.

Control Area Testing & Surveillance:
In response to these detections, the Georgia Department of Agriculture established a control area – a 10km (6.2 mile) radius around the affected premises. There were approximately 103 additional commercial poultry operations located within the control area. Every commercial operation within the control area was subjected to increased testing and movement controls based on their proximity to the affected premises. In response to this event, GPLN staff completed 4,541 tests representing 49,951 individual chickens and hundreds of flocks with no additional detections of HPAI.

Movement Permitting:
The Georgia Department of Agriculture implemented movement controls requiring a permit for any movement of birds or related products in to, out of, or within the control area. Negative HPAI testing was one of several requirements to receive a permit. The Department issued 240 movement permits, representing approximately 600 movements during this event.