On Sept. 16, 2025, highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in a Redwood County commercial turkey flock. This is the first detection of HPAI in poultry since April 23, 2025, and animal health officials and industry have been working hard over the summer to eliminate the virus from quarantined sites so the state could officially declare freedom of the disease on Aug. 25, 2025. This detection resets Minnesota’s response teams and will draw responders back into the fight against avian influenza this fall.

The Redwood County flock, around 20,000 turkey toms, showed signs of increased mortality. Samples taken Sept. 14, 2025, and submitted to the Minnesota Poultry Testing Laboratory on Sept. 15 tested PCR positive for influenza A and the H5 strain. Molecular testing (PCR) is a diagnostic tool that looks for the presence of the virus in the bird. Positive influenza results indicate the bird is infected and shedding virus. The USDA National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa confirmed the results and will run further tests on the sample to classify the virus type.

"Though we remain hopeful that we can eliminate HPAI in Minnesota´s poultry stock, this case was not wholly unexpected as we move into the migration season for wild waterfowl," said Dr. Shauna Voss, Assistant Director of the Board. "Vigilance and robust biosecurity remain the best methods for flock owners to protect poultry from avian influenza."