Iowa is now considered free of highly pathogenic avian influenza.  As a result, State Ag Secretary Bill Northey says the ban on all live poultry exhibitions, including fairs and livestock auction markets, will be lifted January 1 of 2016.

Northey says the ban was put in place to stop the spread of the bird flu.  The lifting of the ban comes as a result of no new cases since June and the lifting of the final quarantine on December 1.  The action is a sign the state’s poultry producers are continuing to recover from the devastating emergency.

A total of 77 Iowa premises and 31.5 million birds were affected with highly pathogenic avian influenza.  Northey says they learned a lot from the outbreak and how to deal with bird flu should it resurface in the future.

Iowa currently has 35 commercial turkey flocks, 22 commercial egg production flocks, 13 pullet flocks, 1 chicken breeding flock and 1 mail order hatchery.