California Announces Temporary Ban on Poultry and Cattle Exhibits

By Lisa Schnirring

California's state veterinarian in a January 7 statement announced a ban on all poultry and cattle exhibitions until further notice as part of the state's efforts to curb the spread of H5N1 avian flu to people and to uninfected animals.

The virus has become widespread in dairy cows, as well as in commercial and backyard poultry, and Governor Gavin Newsome on December 18 declared a state of emergency to free up more resources to battle the virus.

Annette Jones, DVM, state veterinarian, said, "We will continue to assess the threat over the next few months and rescind this ban if the situation changes."

More detections in poultry and cattle, more wild-bird warnings

In other developments, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) confirmed 4 more H5N1 detections in dairy cattle, 3 in California and apparently 1 in Michigan that the state first announced in October 2024. The new confirmations push the national total to 923 and California's total to 706. 

APHIS also confirmed one more H5N1 outbreak in poultry, which involves a layer farm in Ohio's Darke County that has 245,300 birds.

Separately, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development today reported highly pathogenic avian flu in a backyard flock in Oakland County, which includes the Detroit metro area.

Meanwhile, Arizona Game and Fish yesterday urged hunters and falconers to take steps to avoid and prevent the spread of the virus, given recent detections in the state's domestic poultry and wild birds. It said dabbling duck species that carry the virus rarely show illness signs, but Canada geese, eagles, other raptors, and domestic poultry appear to be susceptible to more severe clinical disease.