Poultry, birds not allowed at fairs due to avian flu

 One thing will be missing from all county and state fairs this year: birds. 

In a May 21 press release, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced the cancellation of  “all live bird exhibitions at county fairs, the Iowa State Fair and other gatherings of birds due to avian influenza.” 

The order is in effect until the end of the year and also prohibits birds being sold at livestock auctions, swap meets and in exotic sales. 

Poultry exhibitions have been a major part of the Montgomery County Fair through 4-H and Future Farmers of America. These exhibitions and shows have acted as educational experiences for children and young adults interested in agriculture. Montgomery County Iowa State University Office of Extension and Outreach County Youth Coordinator Hallie Peck said the goal is to still have those participants involved in the fair. 

“I think last year, on average, I would say we had 175 birds, so that is a large show and it takes all day,” Peck said. “The main thing we’re doing for those kids is promoting some of our other options at the county fair to get them involved, but still be able to use their poultry. We have different project areas [like] static exhibits [and] we have communication events.”

Peck said 4-H and FFA are encouraging students to continue raising their birds, keep records and participate in another way to show off their birds.  

“We’ve kind of suggested that a way to incorporate their poultry, they can choose that project area and then they could create a poster or do something like that and it could be about the avian flu or just something that shows the lifecycle of poultry,” Peck said. “[We’re encouraging something]  where they still have their birds, they’re still raising them, they’re still keeping records on them, so we want to make sure there’s still a way to incorporate them into the fair. We understand that there’s nothing we can do about it or that they can.”

Joshua Sunberg, a 2015 Red Oak High School graduate, is one of those prevented from showing poultry at this year’s fair. He said he would like to see projects at the fair that inform the public on the dangers of avian influenza and what measures to take to keep both birds and humans healthy. 

“I would love to see some informational displays or something where the poultry would [normally] be at the county and state fairs,” Sunberg said. “Something, maybe, informing the public of the threat of avian influenza, not only to the birds, but also to the public. Although there haven’t been any confirmed cases of the [illness] in the public, it’s still a concern.”

The IDALS and United States Department of Agriculture have warned bird owners to take extra precautions in order to keep birds and humans safe. The departments have suggested precautions such as limiting the pairs of shoes used around poultry, cleaning clothes and keeping unnecessary individuals away from poultry facilities. 

Sunberg said his family are taking extra steps to ensure the good health of their birds. 

“We’re not letting anyone around or near the chickens,” Sunberg said. “We’re keeping our area as clean as possible. We’re having only one pair of shoes going into that area and wearing like little plastic bags or something to protect ourselves and our birds.”

Peck also cautions that 4-H and FFA participants should take extra steps during the outbreak because “the avian flu can still be transmitted, it can still be passed on, so be extra cautious if you have poultry at home. Take extra steps, even if yours aren’t sick.”

She said all participants are required to go through certain training before raising and showing any animals that educate them in biosecurity measures and safety. 

“All livestock exhibitors, poultry exhibitors are required to go through FSQA, and that is food quality safety assurance training,” Peck said. “That covers biosecurity, and that’s just something we do every year to make sure they are raising their animals correctly [and] ethically. It’s standing out to people [now], like ‘oh, that’s why we did that.’”

Sunberg said because he has been taking the precautions to protect his birds, he is planning on showing them at a fair in Illinois. 

“There’s still a show open in Illinois and I might go to that show,” Sunberg said. “That one is in October. A few of us have spoken with the Secretary of Agriculture and we’ve been approved to go show [poultry] at that show.” 

Sumberg won’t be participating in this year’s Montgomery County Fair, but he will have a crop display and participate in photography at the Iowa State Fair. 

“I don’t plan on doing anything for the Montgomery County Fair, but I still plan on doing a couple other things for state fair,” said Sunberg. “[Avian flu] just pretty much took me out of Montgomery County Fair because I normally would have shown poultry.”

Sunberg said with FFA, he can continue to show at fairs until he is 21. He said he may not show birds at the county fair, but he wants to show his birds at the state level in the future. 

“State fair is not out of the question,” Sunberg said. “I will definitely show at state fair next year, if it’s available.”

If poultry participants want to participate in the Montgomery County Fair, Peck encourages them to continue keeping records and bring them to the fair. 

“We’ve been telling [participants] to continue with their records,” Peck said. “[They] can put them in their fair books, [they] can bring them to fair and share them with the judges; people will want to see that [the kids] are still taking care of [their birds].”

She said 4-H and FFA members can also participate in exhibits such as photography, animal science and vet science. She said this could be an opportunity for students to educate the public on the avian influenza. 

Extension 4-H State Livestock Specialist and State Fair 4-H Livestock Superintendent Mike Anderson said 4-H’s priority is learning experiences for the youth of Iowa. 

“Some 4-Hers will be disappointed that they won’t be able to exhibit their poultry projects at fairs this summer, but we’re exploring alternate learning opportunities to offer them at fairs and will share more details as plans develop,” Anderson said in a press release. “This is a great example to the public, fair-goers and the consumer that the animal health, animal well-being and the safety of the poultry industry is at the forefront of our young people’s practices. Through our annual Food Safety and Quality Assurance curriculum, we have educated youth for many years on these and other topics such as biosecurity and the potential for diseases to spread. The education and learning practices are being put into action in the real world.”

The outbreak of avian influenza has significantly slowed across the U.S., but Iowa is still feeling the effects. 

The most recent detection of avian influenza occurred in a central Iowa county last Wednesday and around 60 percent of Iowa’s birds have been affected. 

Officials are hopeful the fairs and exhibits will have no restrictions after 2015, but feel the cancellation of exhibits for the remainder of the year was best for the health of birds and humans. 

“We strive to provide safe and healthy competition for all the animals at our state fair and know this decision was made in the best interest of our exhibitors and our poultry industry,” said Gary Slater, Iowa State Fair chief executive officer and manager, in a press release.