Press Releases

State Veterinarian Mike Martin announced today that all North Carolina poultry shows, and public sales will be suspended due to the threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza. This includes all exhibitions, farm tours, shows, sales, flea markets, auction markets, swaps and meets pertaining to poultry and feathered fowl in North Carolina. These activities are suspended until further notice.  

Two additional commercial turkey operations in Johnston County have tested positive for High Path Avian Influenza. These farms were identified during increased surveillance following the first positive HPAI case and are located in the 10 kilometer or 6.2 mile zone identified as a result of that positive case.The positive samples were identified by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinary Diagnostic lab in Raleigh. The samples have been sent to the USDA APHIS National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, Iowa to confirm the positive result.

The North Carolina Egg Association (NCEA) has been awarded a grant from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission (NCTTFC) for $106,800, which will be used to support an integrated communications campaign to reach consumers within the state with interesting, relevant information about egg farming, nutrition and preparation.

A commercial turkey operation in Johnston County has tested positive for High Path Avian Influenza. The positive sample was first identified by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Veterinary Diagnostic Lab in Raleigh and confirmed by the USDA APHIS National Veterinary Services Lab in Ames, Iowa.Since late January, the HPAI virus has been found in 48 commercial farms in 12 states and 32 backyard flocks in 13 states. This is the first case of high path avian influenza in domestic poultry in North Carolina.

WHO/WHAT:Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler is hosting an open house celebrating the completion of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ largest ever building project. The event will include tours of the necropsy, fuel quality and biological labs.

WHO/WHAT:    WHEN:  WHERE:   BACKGROUND INFORMATION:  The N.C. Plant Conservation Scientific Committee will discuss conservation program updates and the opportunity to incorporate plant species into the State Wildlife Action Plan.    Thursday, April 7, 1 to 3 p.m.  

The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Agricultural Crop Loss Program has been expanded to include farmers in six western counties that suffered freeze or frost damage to their agricultural commodities from April 2 to April 21, 2021.To be eligible for assistance under the program expansion, a person must have experienced a verifiable loss of agricultural commodities as a result of this freeze disaster and the person’s farm must be located in Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania counties.

The N.C. Tomato Growers Association is offering a $1,000 merit/need-based scholarship for the 2022-2023 academic year. Any North Carolina resident who pursues a horticulture or agribusiness undergraduate or graduate degree at a four-year North Carolina college or university is eligible to apply. The deadline for submitting an application is May 31.

State Veterinarian Dr. Mike Martin has extended his strong recommendation to poultry owners to continue strict biosecurity measures due to the threat of High Path Avian Influenza.  These recommendations include keeping birds enclosed/indoors if possible.The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, along with the United States Department of Agriculture and the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission has been tracking the highly pathogenic Eurasian H5 avian influenza first identified in January in wild waterfowl in our state.

This year marks the 150th anniversary of Arbor Day, and its importance is just as relevant now as when it was first recognized.Established in 1872 as a tree-planting holiday, Arbor Day was first observed in Nebraska and was celebrated by the planting of more than a million trees. Arbor Day quickly grew into a national holiday before transitioning to a day recognized by many countries across the globe.