Bird Flu Hits Major U.S. Turkey Producer in Indiana

After a bird flu outbreak devastated farms in Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin in 2015, Indiana announces at least 10 commercial farms have tested positive for the virus.

One of those farms is in Dubois County, which is the largest turkey producing county in the United States.

Dubois County raises more than one million birds each year and officials say they have had to euthanize more than 200,000 birds so far.

The State Board of Animal Health says they are hopeful that at least eight of the 10 farms have a less deadly form of the virus.

“We don’t want people to panic. This is not a situation that deserves chaos at this point, we’re handling it. The USDA has been prepared last year with the cases we’ve had to fight. All the state industries have and state governments have done a very good job of preparation,” said USDA spokesperson Koren Custer.

The bird flu outbreak of 2015 killed more than 48 million birds in 16 states and cost taxpayers nearly one billion dollars.

Minnesota declared a state of emergency after losing nearly 10 million birds to the outbreak.