05-03-2025
No poultry and dairy cattle at the Mid-State Fair? Bird flu cancels some livestock shows
The bird flu is impacting more than just egg prices in San Luis Obispo County — now, it's hitting the biggest local agricultural event of the summer.
The California Mid-State Fair has canceled its dairy cattle and poultry shows for the 2025 season due to a statewide ban brought on by the rapid spread of the avian flu across California, the Mid-State Fair Livestock group announced in a news release Monday.
The disease has hiked egg prices and ravaged farms and ranches, affecting over 700 dairy herds and 60 poultry flocks, according to the release. As of January, the California Department of Food and Agriculture says the disease had impacted more than $15 million birds.
The spread of the bird flu led Gov. Gavin Newsom to announce a state of emergency in December, followed in January by the State Veterinarian's ban on poultry and dairy cattle events at fairs.
The Mid-State Fair is now falling in line with the regulations.
'The ban is a precautionary measure to protect exhibitors, livestock, the broader agricultural community and the public,' Monday's announcement read.
The canceled shows include market broilers, market turkeys and bird show, as well as dairy cattle shows. The poultry show knowledge bowl will remain, since it doesn't include live poultry, according to the release.
'We will be following the situation closely and will update exhibitors with any changes,' it read.
It was not immediately clear if the Fair planned to provide alternative options for youths who planned on showing their cattle or poultry during this year's event.
The Mid-State Fair Livestock organization and a Mid-State Fair representative did not respond to a request for comment on the cancellations as of Tuesday evening.
