The first Iowa case of highly pathogenic H5N2 avian influenza (HPAI) was confirmed in a commercial turkey flock in Buena Vista County in northwest Iowa last week. The 27,000 turkeys on the farm were depopulated, and the premise has been quarantined.

"Iowa’s turkey farmers are de­­dicated to the care and well-being of their poultry, and a loss of this magnitude is emotionally distressing for farmers who experience it," said Gretta Irwin, executive director of the Iowa Turkey Federation.

She said the turkey and poultry industries...