All poultry sales banned in in NC due to bird flu outbreak
by: Daniel Barker
NaturalNews.com
Friday, July 10, 2015
North Carolina authorities have announced a ban on all sales of live poultry, effective beginning August 15, 2015. The ban also applies to public livestock shows and poultry sales, such as the poultry exhibit at the North Carolina State Fair, which traditionally takes place each October.
The ban was prompted by the avian flu epidemic, which has been responsible for the deaths of nearly 50 million birds in the United States, and although North Carolina has not yet been affected, authorities fear that the disease may spread to the Southeast region when the annual waterfowl migration begins in the fall.
The H5N2 strain of the avian flu virus has infected birds in 21 states so far, and N.C. officials are wary of the possibility of its spread to their own state, which is the nation’s fourth-biggest producer of chickens raised for meat and the third-largest turkey producer. The poultry industry in North Carolina is worth $18 billion, according to State Veterinarian Doug Meckes, who made the decision to enact the ban.
In an interview, Meckes was quoted as saying:
“There’s a significant likelihood that it will come to North Carolina. It’s a significant threat to our industry.”
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