February 15, 2025, Lancaster, PA – Senator Dave McCormick (R-Pennsylvania) visited a farm in Lancaster County today to meet with local poultry farmers, industry allies, and Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding in response to the worsening avian influenza outbreak.
“Our poultry farmers and their families are really hurting from this devastating bird flu outbreak,” said McCormick. “This virus not only threatens our state’s agriculture economy and the cost of groceries, but it also threatens these farmers’ livelihoods. My top priority is ensuring Pennsylvania poultry farmers and the whole agriculture industry have the resources they need to combat the spread of this virus, protect Pennsylvania flocks, and make groceries affordable for all Pennsylvanians.”
More than 2.5 million birds in Pennsylvania have already been lost due to bird culling in the past few weeks. During his visit, McCormick listened to concerns from poultry farmers and agriculture leaders in an effort to learn how officials at the federal level can most effectively help them fight the virus and prevent future outbreaks from occurring.
Heritage Poultry Management Services, Inc., President, Chris Pierce, attended the meeting and underscored its importance by saying, “On behalf of Pennsylvania’s egg farmers, I’m grateful to Senator McCormick for spending time with us to discuss the significant impact bird flu has had on our Pennsylvania family egg farms and our valued customers. With his assistance and the resources of the federal government, we will together create a pathway to combat this terrible virus and get to the other side of these difficult times.”
Agriculture is the number one industry in the state of Pennsylvania, contributing $132.5 billion to the state’s economy every year. As of 2022, poultry surpassed dairy as the state’s number one agriculture sector by revenue, accounting for $2.6 billion annually. The agriculture industry in Pennsylvania supports nearly 600,000 jobs and 70,000 come from the poultry sector.
Contact: Meghan Rodgers, meghan_rodgers@mccormick.senate.gov
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