The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets on Tuesday announced new testing requirements for dairy cattle entering fairs or exhibitions to continue to prevent the transmission of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in dairy cattle in the Empire State. The order issued by the Department requires that lactating dairy cattle be tested and show negative results for HPAI within seven days prior to entering a fair, including the Great New York State Fair, county fairs, or other exhibitions. The test must be conducted by an approved National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) lab.
The Department encourages industry members to follow these steps in addition to the state’s order to help ensure the health and safety of animals at county fairs across New York, in addition to The Great New York State Fair. Animal health requirements for 2024 county fairs and The New York State Fair are outlined in three documents, listed below. These documents currently apply to animals, including poultry, at fairs in 2024.
https://agriculture.ny.gov/animals/fair-health-requirements
https://agriculture.ny.gov/animals/interstate-health-requirements-fair-animals
https://agriculture.ny.gov/animals/exhibitor-prefair-guidelines
Additionally, in April, the state issued temporary import requirements for dairy cattle coming into New York and continues to urge farm owners and farm workers to practice good biosecurity measures, which include restricting on-farm access to employees and essential personnel; providing farm-dedicated work boots for all workers that are not worn anywhere else; preventing cattle from drinking from sources that may be contaminated by waterfowl; preventing wild birds from accessing feed sources and making sure all feed spills are cleaned up; and contact your veterinarian if you suspect your cattle are showing signs of HPAI.
Additional biosecurity recommendations can be found here. Biosecurity involves all the actions taken to reduce or eliminate the spread of the virus, which includes biosurveillance measures which involve monitoring for sick animals.
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