Bird flu confirmed at NJ live bird market

🐓 A case of bird flu in a live bird market was reported in Union County

🐓 Presumptive positive cases have been reported in a half-dozen NJ counties

🐓 The Trump administration announced a plan to combat bird flu Wednesday

The state has confirmed its first case of avian flu in a bird market as more dead ducks and geese have been found around New Jersey.

A presumptive positive detection in poultry in Union County was found on Feb. 19 during routine restocking at a live bird market. The location of the market was not disclosed by the Department of Agriculture.

The farm was quarantined and will not receive any new poultry until it is cleaned and disinfected. Confirmatory testing is underway at the National Veterinary Services Laboratory.

“I want to applaud the live bird markets taking necessary precautions which led to the quick identification of the illness in birds,” state Department of Agriculture Secretary Ed Wengryn said in a statement. “By reporting this to us immediately, we were able to prevent the sale of any sick birds to the public.”

No case of bird flu in humans or cattle have been reported, according to the state. Additional reports of dead birds continue to be reported.

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Don't feed the geese

The state has confirmed cases of avian flu, also known as H5N1, as of Friday in Salem and Warren counties. Presumptive positive detections have been detected in Atlantic, Bergen, Burlington, Cumberland, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, and Sussex counties.

Allentown Borough says dead geese at three parks tested positive for bird flu.Dr. Farmer's Park, the Millpond, Pete Sensi Park, and the parking lot along the waterway of Heritage Park were closed to visitors and fishing.

Sayrville's Emergency Management said Tuesday that "multiple deceased geese" were reported in Kennedy Park. The agency said that while no positive cases have been reported, it encouraged residents to abide by borough regulations that prohibit feeding waterfowl.

"Feeding geese and ducks might seem harmless but it actually distrupts their natural behaviors, leading to overpopulation and dependency on human provided food," the department wrote on its Facebook page.

The Trump administration on Wednesday said that tightening up biosecurity on farms will help combat avian flu. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said the USDA will invest another $1 billion on top of the roughly $2 billion it has already spent battling bird flu since the outbreak began in 2022.

Rollins expects the price of eggs to jump another 40% in 2025. More than 166 million birds have been slaughtered — with most of those being egg-laying chickens. Last month was the worst yet for egg farmers with nearly 19 million egg-laying chickens slaughtered.

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