More avian flu cases recorded in Sonoma County

Sonoma County’s beleaguered poultry industry took more hits during Christmas week, as two additional producers recorded outbreaks of avian flu.

A pair of commercial egg farms joined the growing list of affected county sites on Dec. 28, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data. The two farms were ordered to euthanize a total of 91,300 birds. It was not immediately clear which companies were affected.

That same day, the highly contagious bird flu struck a commercial egg producer in Marin County. That one, the first recorded in Marin, will result in the deaths of 151,000 chickens.

Sonoma County’s grim tally now stands at more than 1.15 million euthanized birds since Thanksgiving week, spread among nine farms. Those that have been identified are clustered in the county’s poultry belt, in the pastureland west of Petaluma.

The contagion has sent a wave of dread through a historically important local industry that typically brings in about $50 million annually.

Since highly pathogenic avian influenza, known as HPAI, was first detected in the United States in February 2022, around 80 million birds have been put down, across 47 states. Close to 20 million were affected in November and December alone.

The virus is carried primarily by waterfowl, including geese, which may transmit it along their migration routes. Many of those routes lead the wild birds to California and the Central Valley.

HPAI is not easily transmitted to humans.

You can reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @Skinny_Post.