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AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONER URGES HALT OF SMALl-MARKET BIRD SALES
Moorefield, W.Va. – West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass is strongly urging a halt of bird sales at feed stores, stockyards and flea markets in the five-county area impacted by the recent avian influenza (AI) case in Pendleton County.
The announcement does not apply to the commercial poultry industry, which continues to move flocks that have tested negative for AI.
“Although the situation at the affected farm is under control, we do not know the source of the infection,” said Commissioner Douglass. “It is imperative that everyone use their common sense and exercise the highest level of biosecurity until we can be certain there is no further threat. Local economies could face tremendous damage if the state ever suffered a widespread AI outbreak.”
The counties affected include Pendleton, Hampshire, Hardy, Grant and Mineral.
For more information, contact the West Virginia Department of Agriculture’s regional office in Moorefield at 304-538-2397.
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The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org.
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