No poultry at county fairs this year

The Indiana Board of Animal Health has banned all bird shows at county fairs this summer and through the fall in the hope of stopping the spread of a virulent influenza that has led to the deaths of more than 40 million birds in 16 states.

While parrot fans squawked over the decision, saying their birds should not be included in the ban, 4-H officials scrambled to find a substitute for the perennial ritual of showing birds.

State animal health officials said they made the decision in the light of two highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, strains now circulating.

The H5N2 strain, which has not been seen in Indiana, has spread through much of the Midwest in recent months. A few weeks ago, nearly 80 birds on a Whitley County farm were euthanized after a different strain, H5N8, previously seen in California, was discovered in the flock.

"We are very concerned about bird health," said Denise Derrer, a spokeswoman for the Indiana Board of Animal Health. "This decision wasn't done lightly, and it wasn't a knee-jerk reaction to a single backyard flock."

About 10 other states — including Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia — also have banned any events, such as fairs, where birds can commingle. The ban does not extend to private sales between individuals.

These avian influenzas, which are spread by wild waterfowl that appear to be impervious to the viruses, have no impact on human health, although they are often deadly for chickens, turkeys and other poultry. Nor is there any reason to be concerned about food safety, Derrer said.

But the news may cause some sorrow among the 4-H set, many of whom recently embarked on their poultry projects. There are 6,757 4-H members in the poultry and pigeon project throughout the state, said Aaron Fisher, a 4-H youth development animal science specialist.

"Showing is a very popular part of the 4-H experience. It's kind of the culmination," Fisher said, "but it's certainly not the single thing. It's just a part of the process."

4-H members will still have the experience of raising and managing their birds, he said. The one difference? They won't be able to show the birds at county fairs or the State Fair.

But 4-H officials are working to come up with alternative ways that the children can show what they have accomplished, perhaps through photographs of the birds.

Finding alternative ways to show and display caged birds, however, will not be easy, said Cindy Merrick, secretary treasurer of the Central Indiana Cage Bird Club.

The club holds four shows a year, two of which have yet to occur, to raise money to help with parrot sanctuaries and parrot disease research. In addition, members congregate with their birds at monthly meetings. The Indiana ban takes all this off the table.

But Merrick said her parrots have little in common with the chickens and other birds that carry avian influenza. Not only do avian veterinary experts say that parrots have little chance of transmitting avian influenza, but each bird undergoes a careful veterinary check before being sold at a fair.

"This is talking about poultry," Merrick said in a phone interview, as one of her 12 birds squawked in the background. "Don't penalize the rest of us."

Some in the poultry industry, however, greeted the ban with relief.

The disease spread in recent months has been unprecedented, said Paul Brennan, executive vice president of the Indiana State Poultry Association. The disease has claimed nearly 10 percent of the layer flock and more than 2 percent of the turkey population.

Scientists do not know for sure how the disease moves from flock to flock, so taking steps such as banning bird exhibits makes sense, he said.

"There will be some people that aren't happy with these changes, but they're important changes that have to be made to protect poultry in this state and across the country," he said.

Indiana's poultry farmers rank first in the nation for duck production and third for egg and turkey production, according to the state's poultry association.

For now, the Board of Animal Health said the ban could last through the end of the year. Without better knowledge of how the disease spreads, the state will take a conservative approach, Derrer said.

"Until we can get a handle on how this thing is being spread, we need to find a way to break the cycle," she said.

The Board of Animal Health will gather public comment online in a virtual public hearing on how to ensure birds' safety once shows and sales resume.

Call Star reporter Shari Rudavsky at (317) 444-6354. Follow her on Twitter: @srudavsky.