New York State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball has announced the end of the bans on live poultry shows, exhibitions, auctions, sales, meets and swaps in New York State. The Department had previously issued the bans on March 25 and April 14 as highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) spread across the United States. The decision to lift the ban comes as cases decrease nationwide, including in New York State, which has not had a detection of HPAI in nearly two months. Additionally, as the State enters agricultural fair season, phylogenetic studies have shown that the majority of flocks affected in the current outbreak were infected by introductions from wild birds, rather than by farm-to-farm transmission, lending additional confidence in the decision.
Department officials are conducting extensive outreach to poultry and egg farms across the State to ensure best practices are being implemented.
Commercial and hobby poultry farmers should continue practicing good biosecurity measures to help prevent the spread of the disease. The Department encourages all poultry producers, from small backyard to large commercial operations, to review their biosecurity plans and take precautions to protect their birds. Poultry biosecurity materials and checklists can be found on the USDA’s “Defend the Flock” website.