Agencies: Avian flu found in birds at Indiana turkey farm

Broad breasted white turkeys stand in their enclosure at Tara Firma Farms on No. 21, 2017, in Petaluma, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Federal and state agencies say a strain of avian flu that can cause high mortality rates among birds has been confirmed at a commercial turkey farm in southern Indiana.

The United States Department of Agriculture says its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed a strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza was found at the farm in Dubois County.

The Indiana State Board of Animal Health says the farm is under quarantine and that the farm’s 29,000 turkeys are being euthanized to prevent the spread of the disease.

The USDA says it is the first confirmation of highly pathogenic bird flu in commercial poultry in the U.S. since 2020.