A mild strain of avian influenza was found on a poultry farm in Arkansas, the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has confirmed. Reuters cites Arkansas Livestock and Poultry Commission Director Preston Scroggin as saying that eight birds out of a 9,000 bird flock tested positive for a low-pathogenic strain H7N7 “bird flu.” The flock was culled and buried and the eggs were destroyed, according to Scroggin.
Importantly, industry officials say this strain poses no threat to humans and neither the meat nor the eggs would have entered the human food chain, according to the Reuters report.
“We’re pretty certain this was isolated to just this one farm,” Scroggin said, continuing that USDA is “there with us on hand as we work the next few weeks to make sure it’s contained.” Nevertheless, farms within a 6.2-mile radius are quarantined. According to Scroggin, the farm is in Scott county, in western Arkansas.
Tyson food, who supplies the facility operator birds and feed, discovered the issue during routine testing last week and the company swiftly notified the poultry commission, who then conducted additional testing and sent the test samples to USDA’s lab in Ames, Iowa, where the H7N7 finding was confirmed, according to Reuters.
