State bans poultry, dairy at county fairs due to bird flu. Details on Stanislaus, others
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article included a photo taken from the Calaveras County Fair’s Facebook page and later determined by The Bee to have been created or altered using artificial intelligence.
The state has barred poultry and dairy cattle from county fairs in response to the bird flu outbreak.
The Stanislaus County Fair holds out hope the order will be lifted in time for its July 11-20 run. Nearby counties had various reactions to the ban, which affects thousands of young members of 4-H and FFA.
State Veterinarian Annette Jones announced her order in a Jan. 10 news release from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. She said it will remain in effect “until further notice” but did not suggest a timeline.
This avian influenza strain has sickened mainly chickens and turkeys at large farms around the nation since it emerged 2022. Farmers must euthanize all of their birds and start over with new flocks. The virus turned up in dairy cattle last March, prompting quarantines and other steps. It then moved on to humans, including a Stanislaus County resident reported to have mild symptoms in December.
The disease tends to spread where people have close contract with poultry and dairy animals. The CDFA urges them to not move the livestock, to wear masks and other protective gear, and to wash their hands.
Can other livestock still come to fairs?
The county-fair order does not affect beef cattle, which are raised with less close contact than dairy. It also exempts swine, sheep, goats and rabbits. This last category has its own threat from rabbit hemorrhagic disease, which has prompted vaccines for wild and domestic animals.
Stanislaus fair participants spend several months raising livestock for judging and auctions at the Turlock grounds. The site also has carnival rides, concerts, motorsports, craft contests and many other attractions.
The Stanislaus fair outlined its bird flu plans in a Facebook post by Kassi Laughlin, livestock and competitive events manager.
“To make sure our exhibitors have the ability to still show if the ban is lifted, we have decided at this time not to officially cancel our shows,” she said. “This does not mean that there may not be a time prior to the start of the fair that we will not have any choice but to cancel.”
Laughlin noted that one entry deadline is soon, Feb. 18 for replacement heifers. They are females raised to be part of cattle herds. More details on all livestock are at www.stancofair.com.
What about Merced, San Joaquin and others?
The Merced and San Joaquin county fairs have not announced any contingency plans like in Stanislaus. San Joaquin will run from May 30 to June 1. Merced will be June 4-8.
The Northern San Joaquin Valley is one of the nation’s top producers of milk, poultry and chicken eggs. These farms have long had measures for responding to disease outbreaks.
The Mother Lode Fair announced it will not have poultry or dairy cattle during its June 27-30 run in Sonora. Tuolumne County has a prominent turkey producer, Diestel Family Ranch, and plenty of grazing land for beef cattle.
“The Mother Lode Fair’s concern is for public safety as well as the health of our local commercial poultry flocks,” its website said. “This decision has been made early enough to hopefully allow our poultry exhibitors to join another project of interest ...”
Calaveras County will have no poultry or dairy cattle shows during its May 15-18 fair in Angels Camp. It has rangeland like its neighbor to the south but no dairy or poultry industries.
Calaveras does have a fair event that is truly unique: a frog-jumping contest inspired by a Mark Twain short story. Bird flu does not infect the amphibians, so the show will go on.
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This story was originally published January 15, 2025 at 3:06 PM.
