Poultry, egg shows paused due to avian flu
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has temporarily banned poultry and egg exhibitions due to the threat of avian influenza.
The ban, announced Thursday, takes effect Saturday and will last for 60 days, or until the department rescinds the order.
Assuming the ban will end in 60 days, the Butler Farm Show is planning to have its poultry events during the show, which is scheduled for Aug. 8 to 13.
The farm show board briefly discussed the ban at its meeting Wednesday night and decided to keep the poultry event, unless the ban is extended to the time of the show, said Ken Laughlin, board president.
“It looks like June 6 is the cutoff date now. It won’t affect us,” Laughlin said. “As of right now, we’re planning on having our regular poultry show.“
No cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza have been confirmed in Pennsylvania, but the department said it imposed the temporary ban to protect the state’s $7.1 billion poultry industry. Pennsylvania has not had a confirmed case of avian influenza in commercial or backyard poultry since an outbreak in 1983-84.
The disease is being spread by wild birds, and cases of the flu have been confirmed in 26 states, including most surrounding Pennsylvania, the department said.
Kevin Jarosinski, 30, a poultry farmer in Buffalo Township, said he believes the department will extend the ban to last all summer as a precaution against the disease.
“I bet no poultry at shows this year,” Jarosinski said.
The state has banned pigs and poultry from shows in the past due to disease outbreaks, and a summer-long ban would be unfortunate for children who participate in 4-H poultry shows, he said.
Children have to raise chickens to reach a certain weight for the birds to qualify for 4-H shows, and 4-H conducts blood tests on birds before the shows, Jarosinski said.
“It takes weeks to meet that weight. It doesn’t happen overnight,” he said.
The temporary ban prohibits the presence and display of poultry and poultry products, including eggs, feathers and other parts and items made of those parts. The ban applies to the 108 county and local fairs that receive state funding under the Pennsylvania Agricultural Fair Act.
"Pennsylvania's agricultural fairs are important educational events for our youth," Redding said. "But the risk to our poultry farmers and our economy outweighs the benefit of displaying poultry at fairs when avian influenza is an imminent threat. The very real experience of weighing risks against benefits is also a tremendously important part of an agricultural education."
Domestic poultry, including chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea fowl, quail, pheasants, emus and ostriches are most susceptible to avian influenza, which is highly contagious and often fatal to birds.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the cases detected so far do not present an immediate public health concern. No human cases of avian influenza viruses have been detected in the United States. Poultry products and eggs are safe to consume if stored and cooked at proper temperatures, according to the department.
In 2015, following a multi-state outbreak of avian influenza, primarily in the Midwest, the USDA reported losses and response costs of approximately $1 billion. A 2021 study of the economic impact of Pennsylvania agriculture found that Pennsylvania's poultry industry contributes $7.1 billion to the state's economy and supports 26,600 jobs. The state's organic poultry sector leads the nation in sales of both eggs and poultry.
The state has a response plan and all farms have biosecurity plans in place for incidents such as disease outbreaks, according to the department.
Like each farm’s biosecurity plan, the response plan is tailored to each farm operation and incident – the number of poultry involved, how they are housed, proximity to roads and other farms, as well as supplies, equipment and personnel, and other specifics. Clear options are laid out for each possible scenario to guide decision-making in the event of a confirmed positive, and ensure that the incident is managed in a way that safeguards the health and safety of personnel, the food supply and the environment, according to the department.
