1. Bird Flu Hits Central Indiana: Nearly 19,000 Turkeys Affected in Boone County
By C.J. Miller
WWBL.com
February 18, 2026
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), commonly known as bird flu, has been confirmed at a commercial poultry operation in central Indiana, near Indianapolis.
The Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) reported that the virus was detected at a commercial breeder turkey farm in Boone County housing 18,763 birds. This marks the first confirmed case of HPAI in central Indiana since January 2025, when the virus was identified in a small, non-commercial hobby flock of 44 birds in Shelby County.
In response, state animal health officials have established a 10-kilometer (6.2-mile) control zone surrounding the affected Boone County site, covering parts of Boone and Clinton counties. Poultry and dairy farms within this area will undergo testing for the virus. Additionally, a 20-kilometer (12.4-mile) surveillance zone has been implemented across portions of Boone, Clinton, Hamilton, and Tipton counties.
Another case was confirmed Tuesday evening at a commercial meat duck farm in Elkhart County, where nearly 3,000 birds are raised. Officials have not released the names or precise locations of the impacted farms.
2. BiomEdit begins final safety trial for poultry biologic
Field safety trial for non-antibiotic necrotic enteritis solution in broilers advances product toward USDA conditional licensure.
Industry Release
Feedstuffs.com
February 18, 2026
BiomEdit announced the initiation of a pivotal field safety trial for its lead candidate BE-101, a non-antibiotic poultry biologic for the prevention of mortality associated with necrotic enteritis (NE) in broiler chickens. The study represents one of the two final regulatory requirements prior to potential conditional licensure by U.S. Department of Agriculture's Center for Veterinary Biologics (CVB).
Two of the three required field safety sites began this month at commercial broiler production complexes testing product from pre-licensing serial manufacturing batches. Upon completion of the field safety trial, along with CVB review of the final report and successful testing of product from pre-licensing serial batches, BiomEdit expects conditional licensure in the third quarter, assuming typical regulatory review timing. Commercial launch readiness is aligned for early fourth-quarter 2026.
Full text: https://www.feedstuffs.com/poultry/biomedit-begins-final-safety-trial-for-poultry-biologic
3. Save the date: ZOHU Call March 4, 2026
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
February 18, 2026
Register and join us for the next ZOHU Call on March 4, 2026, 2 - 3 pm ET.
Please note: We have moved to MS Teams. Be sure to register for the webinar.
Presentations:
Ecology of Hantavirus in Wildlife
Dr. Luis E. Escobar, DVM, MSc, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Virginia Tech
AND
Paanwaris Paansri, Ph.D. Student, Graduate Research Assistant, Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Virginia Tech
Human Orthohantavirus disease prevalence and genotype distribution in the U.S., 2008-2020
Dr. Shannon Whitmer, Ph.D., SM(ASCP)CM, Microbiologist, Viral Special Pathogens Branch
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Register: https://tinyurl.com/e32z2b8k
Over half of birds culled in years-long HPAI outbreak have been lost since the beginning of 2026 [PA]
TriStateAlert.com
February 19, 2026
HARRISBURG- Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has allocated more state-level dollars towards preventing the spread of Highly Parthenogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) among the Commonwealth's numerous poultry flocks.
In response to a recent spike in infections among poultry in the Commonwealth, the Shapiro Administration is mobilizing additional personnel, expanding testing capacity, and coordinating closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and industry partners.
Starting today, 42 USDA employees will be on the ground in Pennsylvania, supporting 55 Commonwealth veterinarians and employees, four Penn State Extension experts, and three members of the Pennsylvania National Guard Civilian Support team who are working to mitigate the spread of HPAI in Pennsylvania. The Shapiro Administration is also deploying up to six additional Commonwealth employees to support the HPAI response and working to procure additional resources to support high-volume testing and aggressive biosecurity efforts.
Avian flu continues spread in Pennsylvania egg, turkey facilities
By Stephanie Soucheray, MA
CIDRAP News
February 19, 2026
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has confirmed more H5N1 avian flu outbreaks in Pennsylvania poultry facilities this week, including six detections in Lancaster County, which has seen a dramatic uptick in H5N1 activity in the past several weeks.
The largest outbreaks are in commercial egg-layer sites, with 2.6 million birds affected in one Lancaster County location, and 1.4 million birds affected in another. Almost 30,000 commercial turkey birds in two Lancaster County facilities were also affected, as were 179,000 commercial broiler birds.
In the past 30 days, 51 US flocks have been confirmed to have avian flu, including 23 commercial flocks and 28 backyard flocks. A total of 8.97 million birds nationwide have been affected.
Pennsylvania is the epicenter of activity, with 11 affected commercial flocks, six affected backyard flocks, and 7,165,500 birds affected in this outbreak.
5. Maximum Line Speed Rates for Young Chicken and Turkey Establishments Operating Under the New Poultry Inspection System
Federal Register Volume 91, Number 33 (Thursday, February 19, 2026)
Proposed Rules
Pages 7926-7948
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FR Doc No: 2026-03227
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
9 CFR Part 381
Docket No. FSIS-2025-0012
RIN 0583-AE01
Maximum Line Speed Rates for Young Chicken and Turkey Establishments Operating Under the New Poultry Inspection System
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
SUMMARY: FSIS is proposing to amend the regulations to: allow young chicken establishments operating under the New Poultry Inspection System (NPIS) to operate at line speeds up to 175 birds per minute (bpm); increase the maximum line speed prescribed for turkey establishments operating under the NPIS from 55 bpm to 60 bpm; define ``maximum line speed'' as the time it takes for an inspector to effectively perform online carcass inspection procedures; clarify when FSIS may direct establishments to operate at a reduced line speed; and remove requirements for NPIS establishments to submit to FSIS annual attestations on worker safety programs. The proposed amendments would allow poultry establishments to slaughter birds more efficiently while continuing to ensure food safety and effective online carcass inspection.
DATES: Comments must be received on or before April 20, 2026.
Full text: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-02-19/html/2026-03227.htm
6. Maximum Line Speed Under the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System (NSIS)
Federal Register Volume 91, Number 33 (Thursday, February 19, 2026)
Proposed Rules
Pages 7905-7926
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
FR Doc No: 2026-03228
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Food Safety and Inspection Service
9 CFR Part 310
Docket No. FSIS 2025-0009
RIN 0583-AE02
Maximum Line Speed Under the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System (NSIS)
AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
ACTION: Proposed rule.
SUMMARY: FSIS is proposing to amend the Federal meat inspection regulations to allow establishments operating under the NSIS to determine their own line speeds based on their ability to maintain process control. FSIS is also proposing to clarify that the FSIS inspector may reduce the rate of establishment operations at any point in the slaughter process when, in their judgement, there is a loss of process control, or a carcass-by-carcass inspection cannot be adequately performed within the time available due to the manner in which the swine are presented to the online carcass inspector or the health condition of the particular herd. Finally, FSIS is proposing to amend the regulations to remove the requirement that NSIS establishments submit an annual attestation to FSIS stating that they maintain a program to monitor and document work-related conditions of establishment workers. The proposed amendments would allow NSIS establishments to slaughter swine more efficiently while continuing to
ensure food safety and effective online carcass inspection.
DATES: Comments on the proposed rule must be received on or before April 20, 2026.
Full text: https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-02-19/html/2026-03228.htm