As Indiana’s farm families proudly show off their livestock at county fairs and the upcoming Indiana State Fair, animal health officials are spreading the word about biosecurity as cases of the H5N1 virus continue to appear in dairy cattle across the U.S.
“We’ve had states nearby—including Michigan—that have been severely impacted by it and they have changed their exhibition requirements. We have not to this point,” says Dr. Bret Marsh, State Veterinarian with the Indiana State Board of Animal Health.
He says that you should keep the following biosecurity measures in mind as your exhibit your livestock during fair season.
“First and foremost, if you have a sick animal, please don’t come to the exhibition with it,” says Marsh. “Plus, make sure that you’re continuing to wash your hands. Also, don’t share equipment with your fellow exhibitors. I know that everyone wants to pitch in and help, but with events like this, the spread of the H5N1 virus is very possible.
“If you have a lactating dairy cow at exhibition, contain that milk because we know the milk is carrying high viral loads of the H5N1 virus. Make sure we’re not dumping the raw milk on the ground so it doesn’t get exposed to other animals or people,” says Marsh.
He also recommends that biosecurity measures also be followed after the fair is over.
“Make sure that you isolate the animal once you get home, which is standard procedure, so that if anything is contracted at the fair, it is not spread to other animals either on the farm or in the community,” he says.
Although there have been no specific changes regarding livestock exhibitor policies at the Indiana State Fair, Dr. Marsh says that things could rapidly change if a confirmed case of the H5N1 virus was found in the state’s dairy cattle.
“This is a very fluid situation. Even though the Indiana State Fair is only a month or so away, there could be a lot of change taking place. We would encourage people to continue to be aware of what’s going on with this particular virus, but as far as I know, in our conversations with the Indiana State Fair, there are no specific changes,” says Marsh.
The H5N1 virus has been confirmed in 12 states—including Ohio and Michigan—impacting 131 dairy herds. At this time, Indiana currently only requires testing of lactating dairy cattle that are moving across state lines, per USDA’s federal order issued on April 29.
The Indiana State Fair starts Friday, Aug. 2 and runs through Sunday, Aug. 18. The fair will be closed on Mondays.
Click HERE for considerations and information for fair exhibitors to help prevent H5N1.
