State lifts bird ban at fairs, shows

With no confirmed cases of avian influenza in the Buckeye State, the Ohio Department of Agriculture today lifted a ban on poultry shows at county and independent fairs, the Ohio State Fair and all other gatherings of birds for show or for sale.

The state enacted the ban on June 2 to protect Ohio's $2.3 billion poultry industry after an unprecedented outbreak in other states of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5 linked to wild migratory birds.

As a result, fair officials in Mercer and Auglaize counties canceled all poultry shows to the dismay of youths who usually exhibit.

Beth Miller, Auglaize County Extension educator for 4-H youth development, welcomed the news.

"It's great news," Miller said. "We can get our kids back to the fair, hopefully. They (ODA officials) had talked with us about it at a meeting earlier this fall, that they had hoped to (lift the ban) with the understanding if there is any other type of outbreak, the ban would go back into effect."

About 60 junior fair youth exhibitors took poultry to the Mercer County Fair in 2014, said Erika Bowers of the Mercer County OSU Extension office in June. The number of birds was not available. About 85 junior fair youth exhibitors took 468 poultry to the Auglaize County Fair in 2014, Miller said in June.

Instead of taking birds to the 2015 fair, Mercer County youths created projects using posters, models and other illustrative and educational materials and cooked poultry dishes. Auglaize County youths designed models of their birds that they entered into a showmanship competition.

Mercer and Auglaize counties are home to millions of turkeys and chickens. Local officials have said an outbreak would be devastating. Area farmers and ag officials this year stepped up biosecurity measures at commercial poultry operations and local and state officials met to determine responsibilities in the event of an avian influenza outbreak.

At the time the ODA ban was placed, the disease had resulted in the deaths of 44 million birds from commercial and backyard flocks at nearly 200 locations in 15 states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Despite lifting the ban, the ODA urged poultry and bird owners to remain vigilant to protect the health of their flocks during migration seasons.

The ban was originally intended to remain in place until April. Throughout the nationwide outbreak, the department worked closely with Ohio's poultry producers and the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to provide training and to closely monitor the health of poultry in the state, the ODA said in a news release.

Ohio is home to more than 50 million domestic birds, according to the ODA. The disease was not reported in Ohio this year.

Avian influenza is an extremely contagious virus that primarily affects domestic poultry and is likely spread by wild, migrating birds. The USDA first confirmed the virus in the U.S. beginning in late 2014. Through this spring and summer, more than 48 million birds nationally were affected.

The United States is free of avian influenza for the time being, according to the World Organization for Animal Health.

Ohio is the second largest egg producer in the country and home to 28 million laying chickens, 12 million broilers, 8.5 million pullets and 2 million turkeys. Ohio's egg, chicken and turkey farms create more than 14,600 jobs and contribute $2.3 billion to the state's economy.