Five of the affected flocks included laying hens.

Avian flu confirmed in 7 poultry flocks in Nepal | WATTPoultry.com

Roy Graber

April 27, 2026

GDJ | Pixabay

The presence of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has recently been confirmed in seven poultry flocks in Nepal.

According to a report from the World Organisation for Animal Health, all but one of the affected flocks was in the Koshi province. The other was in the Bagmati province.

The affected flocks in the Koshi province included:

• 226,407 laying hens, ranging in age from 10 to 126 weeks
• 21,373 broiler breeders in three different age groups: 18, 43 and 57 weeks
• 19,499 laying hens, which were 18, 43 and 57 weeks old
• 5,000 laying hens, all 57 weeks old
• 60,237 laying hens, ranging in age from 10 to 75 weeks
• 4,200 Giriraja chickens, which were 22 weeks and 33 weeks old.

The Bagmati flock included 34,600 laying hens, ranging in age from 13 weeks to 36 weeks.

In each situation, according to WOAH, the flocks either had wild birds frequently visiting the premises, were close to a river where migrating birds were common, or were in close proximity to a previously HPAI-affected farm. In one of these instances, a feed truck that was potentially carrying the virus was listed as a possible source of infection.

Control measures applied included stamping out, disinfection, movement control, quarantine, screening, surveillance within a restricted zone, and official destruction of animal products, carcasses, byproducts and waste.

View our continuing coverage of the global avian influenza situation in poultry, and on disease developments in the U.S. dairy sector.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is announcing $52 million to help state and tribal governments encourage private landowners to allow public access to their land for hunting, fishing and other wildlife-dependent recreation through the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP). USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications through June 8, 2026 on Grants.gov for this program that benefits landowners and the public.

“The Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program is a critical source of funding for increasing public access to private lands for hunting and fishing, while also supporting farmers and contributing to habitat conservation efforts,” said NRCS Chief Aubrey J.D. Bettencourt. “This program is about opportunities for landowners and the public.”

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) restored funding for the Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program (VPA-HIP). OBBBA strengthens the ability of NRCS to support farmers, ranchers, and partners in tackling conservation challenges at the landscape scale.

States and tribal governments may apply to use VPA-HIP grant funding to create new or expand existing public access programs or provide incentives to improve habitat on land enrolled in their public access programs.

For example, through previous awards:

Arizona Fish and Game Department opened 4.8 million acres of private and land-locked public lands in Arizona for public use.
Missouri Department of Conservation enrolled 30,000 acres into the Missouri Outdoor Recreation Access Program to increase and enhance wildlife habitat for small game and other wildlife species on private land in the state.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife offered 75,000 acres to the public for hunting wild turkey, pheasant and big game, at no cost to the user. These acres are spread over six large counties.
VPA-HIP is a competitive grants program available to state and tribal governments. Projects may last up to three years. Projects can receive up to $3 million, and project sponsors can use up to 25% of funds to provide incentives to landowners to improve wildlife habitat on enrolled public access program lands.

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