A decision by the board of directors of The Big Butler Fair not to require rabies vaccinations for livestock at this year's event is drawing criticism and concern from some veterinarians and fair board members.

The decision, which was approved in late February, changes the fair's policy and no longer requires most non-market livestock to have rabies vaccinations or a certificate of veterinary inspection (CVI) for the 2017 fair.

Fair treasurer Marlin Sarvey said he believed the board would ultimately reverse its decision on the rabies vaccinations for livestock because of the liability issues involved. But Fair secretary Harold Dunn disagreed and said he doesn't believe the board will vote again on the matter.

“We have followed the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture's animal health requirements. That's the bottom line,” said Dunn.

Each year the department publishes a list of health requirements and recommendations for animal exhibits at fairs and farm shows.

Until 2015 rabies vaccinations and certificates of veterinary inspection for livestock were a requirement, said Dr. Erin Moore, a veterinary medical field officer for PDA. But that year the state reevaluated its interpretation of agricultural statutes and determined that the department could recommend rabies vaccinations and CVIs for livestock — a term that includes cattle, sheep and pigs — but not require them.

The state still requires rabies vaccinations for dogs and CVIs for horses, according to PDA's 2017 animal health rules for fairs, which were published in January. Moore said that most county fairs in the region continue to require CVIs and rabies vaccinations for animal exhibits.

Dunn said rabies has never been an issue at the Big Butler Fair since its inception in 1856, but declined to speak on the record about the reasons behind the board's decision. Board Vice President Ben Roenigk did not return messages left seeking information on the board's vote.

The board voted on the matter in late February, said member Jill Beidl, but neither she nor Dunn could say what the final tally was. Dunn said the decision to discontinue the requirements was “affirmative by a significant margin.”

Beidl, who is a member of the fair's animal care committee and oversees all horse-related activities at the fair, said she vehemently disagrees with the board's decision to stop requiring rabies vaccinations for livestock. She said the fair would continue to require rabies vaccinations for horses in 2017, but she believes they should be required for all livestock exhibits.

“I don't think it's right for animals to be coming into the public without some form of veterinary inspection,” she said. “If you don't have a CVI and you don't have a rabies shot, there's really no reason for a veterinarian to be at your farm. One or the other needs to happen.”

Moore, in an e-mail response to questions, said rabies remains a serious concern for veterinarians throughout Western Pennsylvania and noted that Pennsylvania has had the most cases of domestic animal rabies in the nation during the past five years. That's important because a major source of domestic rabies is rabid cats, she said, and most farms have unvaccinated barn cats living in and around livestock.

While the fair board's concern may be whether animals could contract rabies while at the fair, Moore said her concern is how many unvaccinated animals could be infected at home unbeknownst to their owners. Rabies has an incubation period of anywhere from 10 days to 6 months, she said, meaning that unvaccinated animals could come into the fair appearing to be healthy, and then become clinically rabid and capable of transmitting the virus.

“That is the real concern, due to the number of visitors that could be exposed,” Moore wrote.