Pennsylvania is at the epicenter of a resurgence of highly pathogenic avian influenza with outbreaks reported at numerous egg and poultry farms.

Only Iowa, Indiana and Ohio produce more eggs than Pennsylvania farms. Since a Jan. 28 outbreak on an egg farm impacting 1.5 million birds, other outbreaks have hit almost 20 farms, totaling 7.45 million birds.

More than 50 million birds were culled nationally due to avian flu in 2025.

As of Feb. 20, Pennsylvania and Colorado are the only states in the country dealing with avian flu outbreaks impacting egg production, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The outbreaks in Pennsylvania have been much larger than those in Colorado — Pennsylvania flocks account for 83% of the egg layer losses nationally in 2026.

All but two of the flocks impacted by the avian flu outbreak in Pennsylvania this year have been in Lancaster County.

Gov. Josh Shapiro announced last week that 42 U.S. Department of Agriculture workers are now working in Pennsylvania to collaborate with state and local officials to respond to the outbreak.

The state has 55 state employees, four Penn State extension experts and three members of the Pennsylvania National Guard civilian support team assigned to the outbreak response.

“This virus continues to test our industry, and we have been responding aggressively from day one. When cases rise, we intensify. Our teams are on the ground immediately, our labs have increased testing capacity and have expedited results to support the response, and we are coordinating daily with USDA and industry leaders,” Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said in a statement.

Since February 2022, Pennsylvania has lost more than 14.3 million birds — with about half of that total coming in the last two months.

2025 outbreak drove record egg prices

A year ago, avian flu outbreaks drove up the price of eggs so much that in many stores, the cost of a dozen eggs topped $7. While the avian flu outbreak was blamed for the bulk of that price spike, an analysis by Food & Water Watch found that it appeared that some egg producers had jacked up prices higher than necessary. That included price hikes in parts of the country where the avian flu had not been directly impacted by avian flu.

Egg prices have fallen back to earth since then — largely because many shoppers reduced the number of eggs they were buying, industry experts say. For instance, both Giant and Weis Markets in central Pennsylvania are currently advertising store-brand eggs for $1.99 and $2 a dozen, respectively.

Pennsylvania response

Pennsylvania has awarded almost $16 million in grants to 300 farmers to help them mitigate the threat of avian flu. Pennsylvania is the only state in the country to establish a fund specifically to help farmers cope with the threat of avian flu. Since 2022, the state has allocated $75 million for the recovery fund, which still has almost $60 million available.

In addition, the first piece of legislation Gov. Josh Shapiro signed into law in 2025 dropped a requirement that certified poultry technicians be U.S. citizens. Act 1 specifies that anyone in the country legally is permitted to get the certification. The legislation, originally House Bill 324, also eliminated language barring technicians from collecting samples on the farms at which they normally work.

The change led to a 30% increase in the number of certified poultry technicians in the state, according to the governor’s office. More than 200 technicians have been certified since Act 1 became law, bringing the total working in the state to almost 900. Another 500 farmers have been trained to collect avian flu samples from their flocks, as well.

The 2024-25 state budget included funding to establish a fourth animal diagnostic laboratory at the Penn State branch campus in Beaver County. The facility has begun offering some services but is not scheduled to be fully operating until 2027.

Shapiro’s budget proposal for 2026-27 calls for another $11 million for agricultural preparedness and response, including $2 million for the new lab.

In the 18-month period ending June 30, 2025, the state’s animal diagnostic laboratory system processed more than 672,000 tests, including 200,000 poultry samples. In less than two months in 2026, the labs have already tested samples from 80,000 birds, according to the agriculture department.

By the numbers

A closer look at the 2026 Pennsylvania avian flu outbreak:

— Seven egg farms — six in Lancaster County and one in Dauphin County — impacting 6.88 million chickens

— 12 Lancaster County farms raising broilers, ducks, turkeys and other poultry, totaling 587,700 birds

— One Philadelphia livestock market, impact 60 birds