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Stanislaus County Fair Poultry Shows Canceled Again Over Fears About Virulent Newcastle Disease

TURLOCK (CBS13) – All poultry shows have again been canceled ahead of this year's edition of the Stanislaus County Fair.

The shows were also canceled in 2019 over fears about the quick spreading Virulent Newcastle Disease (VND).

With the fair happening right in the heart of the Northern California poultry industry, organizers said they do not want to put animals at risk.

"We understand the impact this decision will have on the youth in our livestock program and wish we had other alternatives," said the fair's Chief Executive Officer Matt Cranford.

Cranford noted they will be pushing to bring back the poultry show come 2021.

Virulent Newcastle Disease has prompted more than a million birds in California to be euthanized since it was discovered in California in 2018. The disease is highly contagious and can even be transmitted to humans.

The majority of birds affected VND are chickens, officials say.

According to an American Veterinary Medical Association report, VND has recently resurged in Southern California. People breaking quarantines are being blamed by officials for the new surge, officials say.

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