State fairs won’t press broiler industry’s bird flu luck

By JANET McCONNAUGHEY
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The South is the heart of U.S. broiler chicken production. It escaped the deadly bird flu virus that devastated flocks in the Midwest this spring.

Autumn brings the possibility that migrating wild birds will carry the virus to the lower half of the U.S.

To combat that, a number of states are barring or limiting poultry shows and public sales, including those at state fairs in September and October.

That’s forcing kids who’ve worked for months to raise and qualify poultry at fairs to get creative with their exhibits.

Fairs that don’t allow poultry shows often have students create displays about their flocks or some aspect of the poultry business.

Here is a breakdown of what Southern state fairs are doing to keep the bird flu at bay. Numbers show the states’ national ranking in poultry production last year and the number of broiler chickens. States using more than one strategy, such as flu tests and waterfowl bans, are listed under the more restrictive category.

BETTER BIOSECURITY MEASURES
-Georgia, 1, 1.3 billion.
-Alabama, 2, 1.1 billion.
-Virginia, 10, 262 million; also requires farmers to isolate birds that went to a poultry show for at least 2 weeks afterward.

QUARANTINED? STAY AT HOME
-Florida, 18, 66.7 million; producers can’t bring poultry from quarantined areas into the state.

IN-STATE? THAT’S GREAT
-Arkansas, 3, 969.8 million; no waterfowl exhibits, and all poultry going to the Arkansas-Oklahoma State Fair must have certified avian flu test.
-Kentucky, 7, 308 million; no poultry sales allowed at fair.
-Missouri, 8, 288.5 million.

GET TESTED
-Texas, 6, 591.8 million
-Oklahoma, 13, 205.3 million
-Tennessee, 15, 180.6 million; any bird that gets sick within 14 days before scheduled travel disqualifies the entire flock, out-of-state birds and hatching eggs must be from certified clean flocks.

DUCKS AND GEESE KEEP OUT
-Mississippi, 5, 727.2 million; 4-H poultry exhibits to consist of photo boards and record books, but one bird can be brought in to demonstrate showmanship.
-Delaware, 11; 244.1 million

A SELECT FEW
-South Carolina, 12, 232.5 million; only doves and pigeons may be shown.

NO POULTRY SHOWS
-North Carolina, 4, 795.2 million.
-Maryland, 9, 287.8 million.
-Pennsylvania, 14, 181.3 million.
-West Virginia, 16, 95.3 million.

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