Officials with the Minnesota Board of Animal Health issued a directive to cancel all bird exhibitions at county fairs, the State Fair and other gatherings of birds effective now and through the end of 2015.

The directive also prohibits birds from being included in swap meets, exotic sales, and petting zoos.

Since March 5, nearly 90 Minnesota farms have been impacted by H5N2 highly-pathogenic avian influenza. The purpose of the board's directive is to minimize the risk of potential further spread of the virus. The risk to the public related to H5N2 HPAI is very low and there is no food safety concern.

Minnesota Board of Animal Health cancels bird exhibitions for 2015

"Taking this step makes sense," said Beth Thompson, MBAH assistant director. "We need to do everything possible to get rid of this virus and preventing the commingling of birds from different farms is one way to do that."

Animal health officials met with leadership of the Minnesota State Fair and University of Minnesota Extension last week to discuss the situation.

"This is a critical time for Minnesota's poultry industry, and we'll do whatever it takes to help," said State Fair general manager Jerry Hammer. "The Board of Animal Health has absolutely made the right decision. We'll use this as an opportunity to further educate people about the challenges of food production."

Minnesota's poultry industry has experienced the largest impact as a result of HPAI.

Brad Rugg, Extension 4-H and State Fair and Animal Science program director, said 4-H officials are exploring alternate learning opportunities to offer youth at fairs and will share more details as plans develop.

Steve Olson, executive director of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association and Chicken and Egg Association of Minnesota said, "We know the decision to halt poultry exhibitions at our county fairs and the Minnesota State Fair was not an easy one to make. This certainly affects the 4-H kids who plan for their projects all year long, and also means fewer opportunities for fairgoers across the state to learn about raising poultry. However, this is the right decision because what's most important at this point is protecting the health and well-being of the birds that are being raised by 4-H'ers, FFA members, and Minnesota's poultry farmers."

As a former 4-Her, Olson said he understands how much time, effort and passion 4-H members put into their projects.

"Exhibiting at the county and state fairs are some of my most memorable experiences in 4-H and FFA," he said. "We are pleased that Minnesota 4-H and the Minnesota State Fair are exploring alternative learning experiences for 4-H members and fairgoers to offer at both the county fair and State Fair levels, and our organizations look forward to helping with these initiatives in whatever ways we can."