# Preliminary Testing Confirms Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Caroline County - February 26, 2026 | Maryland Department of Agriculture

> The Maryland Department of Agriculture announced a presumptive H5 avian influenza case on a commercial broiler farm in Caroline County. It is the third such case on a commercial poultry farm in that county this year and the fourth in Maryland in 2026, and the flock has been depopulated pending USDA confirmation.

- Date: 2026-02-26 · published 2026-02-26T12:00:00.000Z
- Category: disease · region US · magnitude low
- Page: https://feedsoft.ai/events/15935-preliminary-testing-confirms-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-in-caroline
- Commodities: [Lean Hogs](https://feedsoft.ai/c/HOGS.md), [Chicken](https://feedsoft.ai/c/CHICKEN.md), [Soybean Meal](https://feedsoft.ai/c/SBM.md)

## Why it matters

A single broiler farm in one state is a small share of US production, so the effect on feed demand and chicken prices is limited. Repeated detections in the region are worth monitoring for broader supply impacts.

## Similar past events

| Commodity | Date | Event | 5-day % | 20-day % |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| HOGS | 2026-01-28 | [Following the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) and African swine fever (ASF) in Je.. - MK](https://feedsoft.ai/events/15938-following-the-outbreak-of-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-ai-and-african.md) | +0.1% | +5.6% |
| HOGS | 2023-02-08 | [Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the Agricultural Community \| NIOSH Science Bulletin \| CDC](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16208-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-hpai-in-the-agricultural-community-niosh.md) | +1.0% | +9.8% |
| HOGS | 2025-06-09 | [Fact checking highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)](https://feedsoft.ai/events/15996-fact-checking-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-hpai.md) | +2.5% | +5.9% |
| HOGS | 2023-06-09 | [Efficient and Informative Laboratory Testing for Rapid Confirmation of H5N1 (Clade 2.3.4.4) High-Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Outbreaks in the United Kingdom](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16181-efficient-and-informative-laboratory-testing-for-rapid-confirmation-of-h5n1.md) | +3.6% | +13.6% |
| HOGS | 2026-02-08 | [Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, African swine fever (ASF), highly pathogenic avian influenza (A.. - MK](https://feedsoft.ai/events/15931-ahead-of-the-lunar-new-year-holiday-african-swine-fever-asf-highly-pathogenic.md) | -0.2% | +6.9% |
| SBM | 2026-01-28 | [Following the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) and African swine fever (ASF) in Je.. - MK](https://feedsoft.ai/events/15938-following-the-outbreak-of-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-ai-and-african.md) | -0.5% | +7.5% |
| SBM | 2023-02-08 | [Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in the Agricultural Community \| NIOSH Science Bulletin \| CDC](https://feedsoft.ai/events/16208-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-hpai-in-the-agricultural-community-niosh.md) | +3.5% | +3.1% |
| SBM | 2025-06-09 | [Fact checking highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)](https://feedsoft.ai/events/15996-fact-checking-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-hpai.md) | -1.2% | -9.3% |

## Sources

- mda.maryland.gov: https://mda.maryland.gov/news/bird-flu-blog/preliminary-testing-confirms-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-caroline-county-february-26-2026

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Data from Feedsoft AI (https://feedsoft.ai/). For information only; not investment advice.