Bird flu was confirmed in a commercial poultry flock in Georgia on Friday, so state agriculture officials ordered a halt to multiple poultry-related activities to stop the spread.

The bird flu was first detected Wednesday at an Elbert County facility containing about 45,000 broiler breeder chickens, and the bird flu case was confirmed by Georgia and U.S. Department of Agriculture labs, the Georgia Department of Agriculture said in a release. 

All commercial poultry facilities within 6.2 miles of the affected facility are under quarantine, and officials ordered the suspension until further notice of any poultry shows, swaps, exhibitions, meets and sales at auction or flea markets.

The case is the first detected bird flu infection at a commercial poultry operation in Georgia since the nationwide bird flu epidemic began in February 2022.

Four other cases were in Georgia — three at backyard facilities raising nonpoultry birds with 580 total birds affected, and one in 2023 at a commercial facility raising 30,000 waterfowl for later release into the wild, according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

“This is a serious threat to Georgia’s #1 industry and the livelihoods of thousands of Georgians who make their living in our state’s poultry industry. We are working around the clock to mitigate any further spread of the disease and ensure that normal poultry activities in Georgia can resume as quickly as possible,” Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper said in the release.

As of 2022, Georgia was the nation’s leading poultry producer, employing more than 88,000 people. Eggs and poultry were produced in 75% of the state’s counties, according to USDA.

• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.