MIAMI VALLEY — As the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak continues to affect Ohio farmers, two local counties have made a declaration of emergency.
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On Tuesday, Feb. 18, The Board of Commissioners in both Mercer and Darke County passed an emergency declaration of government support due to the ongoing bird flu outbreak.
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Darke County experienced its first case of HPAI on Dec. 24, 2024, while Mercer County had its first case on Jan. 10, 2025, according to the resolution documents.
Both counties stated that the HPAI poses “a severe risk to the economic stability of the agricultural sector,” of their respective communities, creating a “ripple of effects” and impacting employment, supply chain demands, price inflation, and stability of small businesses.
Both counties also stated that the affected poultry farms are “vital to the local economy and provide essential food products to the region, state, and nation.”
According to the declarations, both counties are requesting the following support from the State and Federal Governments to assist “assist in the containment, eradication, and recovery efforts related to the disease’:
- The ability to perform more testing on bars that have tested positive but aren’t showing any symptoms;
- Emergency financial support to poultry farmers in the county who have been directly affected by the outbreak, including “compensation for the loss of poultry and revenue losses due to quarantine and depopulation measures”.
- Resources such as personal protective equipment, disinfectants, and biosecurity supplies.
- Support for veterinary professionals and disease control experts.
- An extension for the existing federal or state agricultural relief programs
- Full cooperation with state and federal agencies
“We passed in support of our farmers who are affected; also for federal and state funds that are available to help with the loss,” Darke County Commissioner Matthew Aultman said in a statement.
“The Mercer County Commissioner passed an Emergency Declaration yesterday to support our poultry community dealing with the ongoing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. We are committed to working with and supporting the agricultural community during this crisis; this involves collaborating with agricultural experts, veterinarians, and other government agencies to ensure best practices and to utilize available resources,” Mercer County Commissioner Brian Miller said in a statement.
News Center 7 has reached out to the Ohio Department of Agriculture and Governor DeWine and is waiting for a response.
We will continue to follow this story.
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