Pa. says this viral outbreak is over. What this means for the state agriculture industry.

Pa. Pressroom is a regular recap of politics in Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. To submit tips and news leads, contact USA TODAY Network Pennsylvania state capital bureau reporter Bruce Siwy at bsiwy@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @BruceSiwy.

A $1.6 billion industry for Pennsylvania is finally returning to normal operations.

Last week, the administration of Gov. Josh Shapiro announced that the World Animal Health Organization is again recognizing the commonwealth as being free of avian influenza. This designation means standard international trade conditions will resume.

"It improves our outlook and improves our trade possibilities," Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding told the USA TODAY Network.

More than 4.6 million domestic birds were killed as result of the avian influenza outbreak first detected in April 2022. Production this year is already on the rise, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture reporting an 8% egg production increase and an 11% rise in the total number of laying chickens.

Pennsylvania hasn't reported a case of avian influenza since March 17 in Lancaster County.

Eliminating the outbreak came as result of coordinated efforts by the state and federal ag departments, Penn State Extension, PennAg Industries and more than 170 experts who conducted testing, according to the Shapiro administration. The 2023-24 budget increases agriculture-related funding by 6%, including $31 million for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Recovery Reimbursement Grants to reimburse those who were directly affected by the virus.

Being free of avian influenza is an "important moment to celebrate," Redding said, noting Pennsylvania is the fourth-largest egg producer in the country, its farming industry having forged strong trade partnerships with Canada, Mexico and Japan.

As for whether consumers may begin to see lower prices for poultry-related items at the grocery store, Redding was uncertain. He said a lot of variables factor into sticker prices.

"But I think the domestic market seems to be responding to that," he added.

Inside the Beltway

U.S. Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) is among those speaking out against a potential component of the 2023 Farm Bill.

The Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression Act, aka EATS Act, faces bipartisan backlash in Congress. Democrats like Casey partnered with some Republican colleagues on an opposition letter to Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.).

"Modeled after former Rep. Steve King's amendment, which was intensely controversial and ultimately excluded from the final 2014 and 2018 Farm Bills, the EATS Act would harm America's small farmers and infringe on the fundamental rights of states to establish laws and regulations within their own borders," they wrote.

These critics of the EATS Act say it amounts to "opening the floodgates to China's takeover of American agriculture" through companies such as the Chinese pork conglomerate Smithfield Foods. They contend that foreign interests will benefit from the elimination of state laws designed to protect farmers, consumers and the rural U.S. as a whole.

Organizations lobbying against the bill include the Organization for Competitive Markets, Competitive Markets Action and FreedomWorks, a network of advocates for "the principles of smaller government, lower taxes, free markets, personal liberty and the rule of law."

On the other side of the argument are 31 House cosponsors and 13 Senate cosponsors. All current proponents of EATS are Republicans.

More: US Sen. Bob Casey, during Erie visit, highlights $30 million to replace lead pipes in city

And the horse race

At least two political newcomers are eyeing the seat of U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Pa.).

Democrat Preston Nouri and Republican Tim Kramer have announced bids for Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District, which covers the northwestern corner of the commonwealth. Kelly is in the midst of his seventh term and has said he intends to run for another.

This seat is up for election in 2024.

Nouri is a first-generation American, an Erie native and graduate of the University of Pittsburgh. He runs a small convenience store and works in Washington, D.C., for the Department of Defense.

Kramer is a Butler County Community College graduate who grew up on a family farm.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: PA exports to resume as avian influenza crisis comes to an end