LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) announced last week it is canceling all exhibitions of poultry in Michigan because of concerns about the possible spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), or avian flu.

State Veterinarian James Averill said he made the difficult decision to cancel all 2015 poultry and waterfowl exhibitions in Michigan to prevent the commingling of birds from different locations. This includes, but is not limited to, shows, exhibitions, swap meets, petting zoos at fairs, game bird and waterfowl fair display and Miracle of Life exhibits.

"We know the tremendous amount of time, money and passion the kids and other exhibitors invest into their birds and the importance of having livestock animals at these events to interact with the public," Averill said. "The rapid spread of these avian flu viruses is historic and has impacted more than a dozen states across the United States.

"While there are currently no known cases of HPAI in Michigan, our commitment to protect the health of all of the state’s poultry flocks – backyard and commercial farmers – led us to make this difficult decision."

MDARD has been working in conjunction with the Michigan Assoc. of Fairs and Exhibitions (MAFE), Michigan State University extension, 4-H programs and other partners to identify ways to give the state’s young poultry exhibitors something else to do that’s meaningful instead of exhibiting their birds. County fair runners and local exhibitors are encouraged to go to the extension website to get a list of options for poultry exhibitors.

Those options include suggestions for showmanship, breed classes, market classes and auctions.

"It’s a cancelation of all poultry live exhibits at the fair, but there’s going to be an effort to make sure that kids will have something to do in lieu of an exhibit," said Lisa Reiff, executive director of MAFE. "I think there’s going to be a push towards educational activities, such as a quiz bowl.

"It’ll be up to the individual fair management as to what activities to have in lieu of exhibitions. The cancelation was a big decision for them and it wasn’t entered into lightly."

Most avian influenza outbreaks this year have been in Minnesota and Iowa. Minnesota is the No. 1 producer of turkeys in the country, while Iowa is the No. 1 producer of eggs.

A recent article from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy stated there have been 94 avian flu outbreaks in Minnesota since early April. The article stated 8 million poultry in Minnesota have been affected by avian flu so far this year.

For more information on developments regarding poultry exhibitions in Michigan, including alternative activities, go online to http://msue.anr.msu.edu/program/avian_influenza/poultryshows and for more information on avian flu in general, go to www.michigan.gov/aviandiseases