The 2025 north carolina department of agriculture hpai emergency cooperative agreement funding will contribute to payment for unexpected costs arising from the disease response to the highly…

The 2025 north carolina department of agriculture hpai emergency cooperative agreement funding will contribute to payment for unexpected costs arising from the disease response to the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in north carolina that began in january, 2025. These costs included state responder overtime, personnel travel and lodging expenses, personal protection equipment (PPE) and other disposable disease response supplies, supplies and equipment to respond, as well as contractors to assist with the work. Activities performed by north carolina responders include issuance and notification of state's quarantines; disease surveillance in control areas and surveillance zones; monitoring of biosecurity on infected premises; monitoring of euthanasia of infected poultry and disposal of carcasses; monitoring of cleaning and disinfection (c & d) of infected premises; approval of permits for movement of feed, supplies and products into or out of control areas; stakeholder outreach; response to sick bird calls; environmental sampling; real time reporting of disease response status; data entry and incident document management. Cooperator activities will facilitate a timely return to normal poultry production/ trade within the state and with other state trading partners to the extent possible under the circumstances; encourages and monitors robust biosecurity of production facilities to minimize further transmission of hpai; facilitates return to production by infected premises at the earliest possible opportunity; maintains outreach and education to stakeholders and consumers; and maintains hpai surveillance and investigation of suspicious sick bird calls to allow earliest detection should hpai RE-emerge or be RE-introduced. Rapid and effective response to hpai outbreak in north carolina minimizes further transmission of disease to other premises and minimizes the impact, to the extent possible, to agriculture trade within north carolina and with other states. This benefits the north carolina poultry industry, as well as consumers, who continue to have access to poultry and poultry products produced within the state.