NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee State Veterinarian lifted poultry restrictions across the state weeks after detecting the highly pathogenic avian flu in a backyard flock in West Tennessee.
On Sept. 15, a backyard flock of poultry in Obion County contracted HPAI, which is known to be deadly for domesticated fowl.
The state said the site remains under quarantine but determined it was safe to lift statewide restrictions. Movement permits are no longer required for poultry moving in or out of the 6.2-mile control zone that surrounds the site, and poultry shows, exhibitions and sales can also resume statewide.
"The coordinated response to stop the spread of HPAI in this area worked, but we can’t let our guard down,” Tennessee State Veterinarian Dr. Samantha Beaty said. “We are grateful to our animal health technicians, the poultry industry, backyard flock owners, and our partners for working together to protect our state’s birds. Still, HPAI is highly transmissible and we strongly encourage poultry owners to continue doing all they can to ensure good health in their flocks.”
Beaty said poultry owners should remain vigilant and report any signs of illness in their birds.
Owners of backyard and commercial poultry flocks are encouraged to:
- Closely observe domesticated birds.
- Report a sudden increase in the number of sick birds or bird deaths to the Tennessee State Veterinarian’s office at 615- 837-5120 and/or USDA at 1-866-536-7593.
- Prevent contact with wild birds.
- Practice good biosecurity with your poultry. More information can be found online at healthybirds.aphis.usda.gov/.
- Enroll in the National Poultry Improvement Plan (www.poultryimprovement.org), the Secure Broiler Supply Plan (www.securebroilersupply.com), and the Secure Egg Supply Plan (www.secureeggsupply.com) as appropriate for your operation.