New York State has banned the sale of poultry at auctions and swap meets in an effort to contain the spread of avian flu that has resulted in the loss of 10,000 birds so far.
On April 15, the state’s department of agriculture and markets issued an order to ban all fowl auctions and “other events for the purchase, sale, swap or trade of fowl” to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza in its poultry population.
Commissioner Richard Ball gave the order based on reports of the continuing spread of HPAI in 26 states, including New York state.
Eight detections in flocks made in the Empire State resulted in the loss of more than 10,000 birds, the agency said in a statement.
However, it did not clarify whether the birds died of the highly pathogenic avian flu or if they had been euthanized.
Department officials were not immediately available for comment.
The order addresses a “serious threat to all poultry and breeds of fowl in the United States, including New York.”
It is an “important step to limit further the co-mingling of birds in our state, which will help slow the spread of this disease, keep our birds healthy, and safeguard our poultry industry.”
But the ban, which will remain in effect until further notice, has angered some.
“I am not going to allow it to happen. Too many people rely on [poultry] farming to survive,” said Katelyn, co-owner of Clucking Ridge Farm located near Buffalo, New York, who asked that her last name not be used.
She said Clucking Ridge Farm is willing to fight the state to keep running.
“We at Clucking Ridge Farm will not comply [with] these regulations simply because we cannot run our farm without selling our poultry,” the farm posted on Facebook.
“Our poultry is tested and monitored for diseases and illnesses.”
Katelyn, 18, said the state is trying to “shut down” her business that she and her boyfriend started a year ago as a backyard project.
“I was kind of in shock first,” she told The Epoch Times. “I thought, ‘They can’t do this. It’s going to destroy my farm.”
The small farm has about 100 chickens and locally produces meat and eggs for sale.
Katelyn said the farm began with the knowledge that “if I ever get a house, [raising chickens] is what I was going to do.”
“It just kind of took off from there,” she said.
She said she is encouraged by support on social media worldwide and has gotten messages from people in Canada, New Zealand, and England.
At Melody Springs Farm in Sharon Springs, New York, Joanne McNamara said the ban on poultry auctions does not affect her business directly.
However, the family farm remains watchful of state “overreach or actions” to address avian flu.
“If they want to light a fire, this is [how] to do it,” McNamara said. “I had no idea [the order went into effect]. It wasn’t on the news.”
“We’re going to go ahead anyway and write to our representatives and make sure that they’re going to fight to keep this from not going any further,” McNamara told The Epoch Times.
“Hopefully, they'll stand up to make sure the state doesn’t take this ban any further when they reevaluate in May. We’re not taking this lying down at all.”
The family has been in business since 2006 and operates with 100 to 250 chickens procured as chicks. The adult chickens are then processed and sold as meat.
“I’ve got meat chicks that I have paid for from Pennsylvania. I’ve got people who have ordered such chickens from me,” McNamara said.
“We keep it small, but we fill a niche for people who want local food raised humanely.”
Several other New York poultry farms declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment.
In the meantime, the New York Department of Agriculture and Markets is working closely with the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and other agencies on a joint incident response.
“Commonsense steps like these are our best line of defense against this disease,” the department said.
