Every year, Cornell invites members from across New York’s growing poultry industry, including hatcheries, egg producers, pullet growers, broiler producers, duck producers  and contract farmers, to share topics pertinent to poultry health at the Avian Health Advisory Council (AHAC) meeting. With topics such as poultry genetics and new technologies, food and animal safety, and advances in biosecurity and vaccinations, experts from across disciplines discuss the latest developments in poultry science.

Organized annually by Dr. Jarra Jagne, director of the Avian Health Program at the Cornell Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC) and professor of practice for the Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, the meeting covers topics that impact the poultry industry across the state and region. The council, which includes members from all areas of poultry health, was founded in 1993, thanks to Dr. Bruce Calnek, a passionate advocate for poultry disease research who brought attention to ongoing research to producers in New York state and the Northeast.

Presenters included representatives from the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, the AHDC Anatomic Pathology Laboratory, the Cornell Duck Research Lab, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture and experts in the animal health industry, including in vaccine development and biosecurity technology. 

Topics discussed included surveillance, disease testing, biosecurity and the robust live bird markets of New York City, vaccination programs and availability, new technologies to reduce pathogens and improve air quality in poultry houses, wildlife and avian influenza in New York state,  what’s happening with avian influenza across the country, poultry vaccinations on a broader scale, disease trends in necropsy and an open discussion about the needs and concerns of poultry producers. 

With dedicated members across the poultry industry in New York coming together to collaborate and discuss the importance of poultry, each year brings something new to the table and opens the door for more.

Written by Jennifer Peaslee