Walz discusses bird flu outbreak during roundtable in Willmar

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is set to participate in a roundtable discussion on the ongoing bird flu outbreak.

While the H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) outbreak hasn’t created any food safety concerns for consumers, it poses a big risk to the state’s poultry industry.

As of Tuesday, the Minnesota Board of Animal Health (BAH) says 1.93 million birds across 17 counties in the state have confirmed H5N1 infections. The first cases were detected in Indiana on Feb. 8, with the first cases in Minnesota confirmed on March 25.

Walz, U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, BAH Executive Director Beth Thompson and Minnesota Department of Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen will talk about the outbreak and efforts to control the virus at around 12:45 p.m.