The Nevada County Fair begins today, but one special event has been cancelled this year. H5N1, or the HPAI (highly pathogenic avian influenza) bird flu, has been blamed for the cancellation of dairy and poultry shows.
“The [U.S. Department of Agriculture], [California Department of Food and Agriculture] put out a ban on all poultry shows, meaning we can’t have our show at the fairgrounds,” said Katie Bielen, deputy manager for the Nevada County Fairgrounds, according to a report by CBS News.
The CDFA put out a statement earlier this year that said, in part, “due to the continued spread of H5N1 bird flu in California, the state veterinarian has implemented a ban on all California poultry and dairy cattle exhibitions at fairs and shows immediately until further notice. This action is required to minimize the danger of exposing people and non-infected cows and birds to the disease.”
Children who raised birds or dairy cattle for the fair are feeling disappointed that the shows were cancelled this year. “Because it’s my first year and I was just kinda bummed that I couldn’t bring him,” said 9-year-old Wesley, while talking about his turkey.
“We’ve got to do something. What are we going to do to help people know they need to support these kids? They raised birds, and you know the price of feed is definitely not cheap,” said Hannah Meyer, a poultry leader.
Meyer decided to start an online fundraiser to help those who raise poultry who are going to suffer the economic fallout of this cancellation. “We’ve had enough donations to cover the costs of raising their birds and buying them, but not the cost of the hours spent,” she said.
“Even without getting to go through with the auction because of all the red tape and the timing and decisions and all that, they still get to see that people want to support them, and that’s really cool,” Meyer said.
What’s interesting is that bird flu in the United States has fallen off a cliff in terms of infections and media coverage.
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Author: Mac Slavo
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