The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on a commercial turkey meat farm in Morrison, Minnesota last week. The outbreak affected 50,000 turkeys.

It's not the first Minnesota turkey flock to be impacted by the deadly virus. In late August, two commercial turkey meat farms in Meeker also reported cases. The first affected 126,407 turkeys; the second involved 52,106.

The last case previous to that was in May, when 54,443 commercial turkeys tested positive for avian influenza on a farm in Dakota.

The first cases of H5N1 in Minnesota were confirmed on March 25, 2022.

Federal and State partners are working jointly on additional surveillance and testing in the nearby area, following existing avian influenza response plans. During a HPAI event in Minnesota, a response zone is created around the infected premises in order to control movement and establish an area for testing and surveillance protocols to be carried out.