U.S. commercial poultry losses surpassed 1,000 flocks during the 2022–2026 HPAI outbreak as Indiana recorded six new outbreaks affecting 131,000 birds, including a 91,200-bird pullet flock in Elkhart County. Pennsylvania added another Lancaster County detection, while Daybreak Foods laid off 87 workers following multi-million-bird losses in Wisconsin. Internationally, Chile suspended poultry exports after H5N1 reached a commercial layer farm, Cambodia reported its third human case of 2026, and Italy confirmed Europe’s first human H9N2 infection.

Daybreak Foods Lays Off 87 Workers After Wisconsin HPAI Losses

Daybreak Foods has laid off 87 workers across two Wisconsin facilities following highly pathogenic avian influenza-related depopulation, according to Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filings with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The layoffs began April 1 and affect 55 employees in Palmyra, Jefferson County, and 32 in Whitewater, Walworth County. The company said the reductions stem from the loss of birds and the time required before repopulation can occur. In its filing, Daybreak stated that “it has recently become clear that the company will not have sufficient work available at the facilities to support all of its current employees at the facilities at this time” following depopulation and cleanup (Spitz, 2026). The layoffs follow large-scale HPAI detections at Daybreak facilities over the past two months. Daybreak Foods’ Palmyra operations, including the Cold Spring Egg Farm in Jefferson County, have contended with multiple outbreaks that forced the culling of more than 4 million birds across three commercial flocks in Jefferson and Walworth counties, underscoring the workforce impacts of sustained losses at the nation’s third-largest egg producer (Kaeding, 2026).

U.S. Commercial HPAI Losses Surpass 1,000 Flocks

The United States has surpassed 1,000 commercial poultry flocks lost during the 2022–2026 highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak. The milestone was reached March 31 when the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed HPAI in a 25,700-bird turkey breeder flock in Edmunds County, South Dakota, and a 5,900-bird commercial meat duck flock in Elkhart County, Indiana. Collectively, the flocks have included more than 203 million birds since the outbreak began in February 2022. More than half of affected flocks have been turkey operations, followed by egg-layer, broiler, and duck sectors, as well as 39 upland gamebird operations (Graber, 2026b).

Indiana Confirms Six New Outbreaks, Regional Spread Continues

The United States Department of Agriculture confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza on April 3 in a 91,200-bird commercial table egg pullet flock in Elkhart County, Indiana (Graber, 2026c). The detection is the largest of six commercial poultry outbreaks reported in the state since the last edition of this report, which collectively affected approximately 131,000 birds. Recent activity continues to cluster in northeastern Indiana, particularly across Elkhart and LaGrange counties, where repeated detections in duck and egg operations have driven most of the state’s recent HPAI activity. Indiana has now recorded 39 commercial poultry outbreaks in 2026, the most of any state (United States Department of Agriculture, 2024).

Chick-fil-A Retreats From Cage-Free Egg Commitment Citing Bird Flu

Chick-fil-A said it may not meet its pledge to transition to 100% cage-free eggs by the end of 2026, citing supply disruptions caused by highly pathogenic avian influenza. The Atlanta-based chain originally announced the commitment in 2016 as part of a decade-long sourcing initiative, but now states that “our ability to meet this commitment in the stated time frame is uncertain due to numerous industry dynamics and the significant impact the bird flu has had over the past several months.” The company did not disclose its current cage-free sourcing percentage but said suppliers must meet quality standards and comply with state cage-free laws. The shift highlights downstream supply impacts from recent egg-layer losses, as avian influenza has reduced available production capacity. Nearly half of U.S. egg-laying hens were cage-free as of 2025, and several major restaurant chains have already completed cage-free transitions (Bardolf, 2026).

Pennsylvania Loses 18,000 Ducks as Lancaster County Outbreaks Continue

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza on March 27 in an 18,000-bird commercial meat duck flock in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania (United States Department of Agriculture, 2024). The detection follows a March 17 outbreak involving 870,000 laying hens in the same county, continuing the concentration of large-scale commercial activity in southeastern Pennsylvania. With the latest detection and a subsequent additional case reported after publication, Pennsylvania has recorded 19 commercial poultry outbreaks in 2026. All but one have occurred in Lancaster County, with the only other detection involving a 70,000-bird laying hen flock in neighboring Dauphin County (Graber, 2026a).

Cambodia Reports Third Human H5N1 Case of 2026

Cambodia’s Ministry of Health confirmed a third human H5N1 avian influenza infection of 2026 in a 3-year-old boy from Oddar Meanchey province, with laboratory confirmation reported March 29 (Dall, 2026). The child, from Tumnup Thmey village in Banteay Ampil district in northwestern Cambodia near the Thailand border, is hospitalized and receiving treatment. Health officials reported sick and dead chickens and ducks in the village and at the child’s residence, with exposure believed to have occurred through contact with infected poultry. The case marks Cambodia’s 37th human H5N1 infection since 2023. Most recent infections in the country have been linked to a reassortant virus combining an older endemic H5N1 clade with the globally circulating clade 2.3.4.4b lineage (Coston, 2026).

Chile Suspends Poultry Exports After H5N1 Hits Commercial Layer Farm

Chile’s Agriculture and Livestock Service (SAG) confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in a commercial layer farm in the Metropolitan Region on March 25, prompting the immediate suspension of all poultry product exports. The detection follows several weeks of H5N1 activity in backyard and wild birds across at least five regions, marking escalation into the country’s commercial poultry sector. Authorities notified the World Organisation for Animal Health and initiated containment and zoning measures while working with trading partners to resume exports from unaffected areas. Chile’s chicken meat exports were valued at $439.5 million in 2025 (Clements, 2026).

Italy Reports First Human H9N2 Avian Influenza Case in Europe

Italy’s Ministry of Health reported Europe’s first confirmed human infection with H9N2 avian influenza on March 25 in Lombardy, northern Italy. The patient, a child with underlying health conditions, was diagnosed after returning from travel to Africa and placed in isolation at San Gerardo Hospital in Monza. Health authorities said the infection was detected through laboratory testing, and contact tracing found no evidence of onward transmission. H9N2 is classified as a low pathogenicity avian influenza virus and typically causes mild illness in humans. While hundreds of human H9N2 infections have been reported globally, primarily in Asia and Africa, this marks the first documented case in Europe. Public health officials described the broader risk as low but noted the detection highlights continued zoonotic exposure and the need for ongoing surveillance of avian influenza viruses (Hutchinson, 2026).

References

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