COLUMBUS – The chickens, ducks and turkeys will be back at your county fair next summer as federal and state officials declared a year-long outbreak of avian flu officially over.
Since there were no confirmed cases in Ohio or any immediate threat of an outbreak, Ohio Agriculture Director David Daniels and State Veterinarian Dr. Tony Forshey rescinded an order prohibiting bird shows in Ohio, which included everything from swap meets to the Ohio State Fair.
Showing chicks, hens, turkeys, ducks and other barn fowl they have raised at their county fairs is eagerly anticipated by participants in youth agriculture programs, but last year’s ban left fairgrounds poultry barns empty.
“As I travelled around the state this summer, I was overwhelmed with the maturity and understanding of the disappointed but supportive young people I spoke with who were unable to bring their poultry projects to the fair,” Daniels said.
The order, issued on June 2, was originally intended to remain in place until April but, the World Organization for Animal Health issued its final report on the deadly avian flu outbreaks in November and declared that all affected states are flu-free.
The ban included county and independent fairs, the Ohio State Fair, and bird shows and sales, including auctions and swap meets.
Daniels and Forshey urged Ohio poultry and bird owners to remain vigilant and cautious in order to protect the health of their flocks during migration seasons.
Throughout the spring and summer of 2015 more than 48 million birds nationally were affected by the deadly outbreak.
The second largest egg producer in the country, Ohio’s poultry industry accounts for 14,600 jobs and pumps $2.3 billion into the state’s economy.