AI prompts Ohio to ban poultry shows

In order to protect its $2.3 billion poultry industry from avian influenza, Ohio has banned all poultry exhibits. The Ohio Department of Agriculture has issued the statewide ban for the remainder of 2015. That means no poultry (turkeys, chickens, pigeons, ducks or geese) will be exhibited at fairs.

“The ban is to help protect Ohio’s $2.3 billion poultry industry from the avian flu that has negatively impacted other poultry-producing states,” according to the Ohio Department of Agriculture.

Ohio’s egg, chicken and turkey farms employ more than 14,600 jobs and contribute $2.3 billion to the state’s economy. “So far, Ohio is virus-free and the move is intended to continue that status,” the Department of Agriculture states.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service first confirmed the virus in the US beginning in late 2014. Since that time, more than 44 million birds at more than 197 locations have been affected.