Due to the continued threat of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship announced an order canceling all live bird exhibitions at fairs and other gathering of birds, effective November 10.

The order, which also prevents the sale or transfer of live birds at auctions, markets, swap meets, and exotic sales, is statewide. It will remain in effect for a minimum of 30 days, or until 30 days has passed without a new confirmed case of HPAI in domestic poultry in Iowa. A similar order was put into place on March 23 of this year, and was in effect until the beginning of June.

Flock owners and producers are recommended to be aware of their biosecurity during this time. Iowa State University Extension Livestock specialist, Matt Romoser, recommends “having clean clothes when you enter into a barn, being aware or cognizant of your foot traffic. When you’re going to your farm, you want to obviously have clean shoes that haven’t been around public spaces or around other birds. Disinfecting any surfaces to prevent introducing any sort of virus into your farm is going to be critical going forward.”

For additional information, and symptoms of HPAI, click here.