March 28, 2024

Iowa cancels bird shows at Iowa State Fair, county fairs

DES MOINES — The Iowa State Fair and county fairs will not have poultry shows this year, Iowa agriculture officials said Thursday, as the state continued to struggle with a bird flu outbreak that has claimed more than 25 million chickens and turkeys.

The state order begins immediately and is effective through the end of the year. It also prohibits live birds sales at livestock auction markets, swap meets and exotic sales.

“The scale of this outbreak has been unprecedented, so we think it is important we take every possible step to limit the chance that this disease will spread any further,” Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey said in a statement.

Other states that recently took similar steps in banning poultry shows include Minnesota, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The H5N2 virus has been found on 63 farms in 15 counties, mostly in northwest Iowa. Iowa leads the nation in egg production and is ninth in turkey production.

Iowa State University Extension officials who coordinate the 4-H program’s livestock shows said some poultry exhibitors will be disappointed, but the outbreak offers an educational opportunity for the youth program.

“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,” State Fair 4-H Livestock Superintendent Mike Anderson said. “The education and learning practices are being put into action in the real world.”