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COMMISSIONER DOUGLASS LIFTS POULTRY BAN AT MIDNIGHT
Ban to Remain in Effect for State Fair of West Virginia
Effective at midnight July 31, 2007, Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass will lift the poultry ban that was put into effect July 9, 2007, in response to a turkey flock that tested positive for low pathogenicity avian influenza (LPAI) in Mt. Jackson, Va., just across the West Virginia border.
Sale, movement and/or display of live birds at West Virginia shows, fairs, festivals, and all similar events will once again be allowed as of midnight July 31, 2007. This excludes The State Fair of West Virginia, which is still under the Order due to interstate movement of birds. The State Fair runs August 10-18, 2007.
Commissioner Douglass noted that the West Virginia Department of Agriculture has been on high alert for any signs of the disease here, and that the industry has been exercising enhanced surveillance protocols since a 2002 AI outbreak that affected West Virginia and Virginia.
Enhanced surveillance testing was conducted as a result of the discovery of the antibodies by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The agencies performed thousands of tests on commercial birds throughout the region and 30 backyard flocks within a 10 kilometer radius of the affected farm. No additional positives were found.
The strain was not the “bird flu” that has been plaguing Southeast Asia and parts of Europe and poses no threat to human health.
Commissioner Douglass again stressed the importance of biosecurity measures for all farm operations.
“It is critical that farmers exercise the highest level of biosecurity,” he said. “This includes minimizing traffic on their farms and keeping a precise log of these visitors, as well as making sure that visitors wear disposable clothing and decontaminate their vehicles upon leaving.”
According to VDACS State Veterinarian, Dr. Richard Wilkes, DNA typing indicates that the source was wild birds. This strain was 98 percent similar to a strain of A.I. found in Maine ducks and British Columbia mallards. While confident that the current situation was limited to a single farm, this confirmation of wild birds as the source indicates that everyone involved with birds must continue to practice strict biosecurity.
For more information of avian influenza, visit the West Virginia Department of Agriculture’s website at www.wvagriculture.org.
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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