United States: The bird flu pandemic persists in New York City after the state shut down its live markets for several months, and activists now ask for a complete slaughterhouse closure.
Poultry intended for sale in New York City developed at least 4,180 confirmed infections of the highly infectious virus from March 1, according to Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service data.
Bird Flu Surges in NYC Markets
Multiple bird flu outbreaks were confirmed to exist in live markets with large bird populations located across the Bronx and Queens and in smaller markets throughout Brooklyn and Staten Island.
During the last eight weeks, starting from February 12, eleven bird flu outbreaks occurred within live markets, and seven of them were located in Queens.
According to Edita Birnkrant, executive director for animal activist group NYCLASS, “These are supposed to be the conditions that have been improved after the governor[‘s] shutdown? This is absolute insanity,” the New York Post reported.
Bird flu sickens thousands of chickens at NYC poultry markets despite temporary statewide shutdownhttps://t.co/9lxIfp2LpE
— BirdieBittern (@BirdieBittern) April 9, 2025
New York Governor Kathy Hochul implemented a closure of all live poultry markets in the state, including NYC, Long Island, and Westchester County, which lasted approximately ten days.
Activists Demand Full Closure
Activists asked the governor to maintain the live market closure throughout the viral spread, but he released the prohibition on February 19, when some markets reportedly exposed customers to visibly unwell chickens.
During the same week, the state started enforcing rules that limited entry of poultry into live bird markets unless they had passed testing procedures.
The release of the bird market ban triggered a response where authorities discovered 150 infected birds at a Queens location on March 3, as reported by state documents.