The West Virginia Department of Agriculture has issued a suspension on all poultry exhibitions and sales as the threat of bird flu continues to grow nationally. (Justin Sullivan | Getty Images)
The West Virginia Department of Agriculture last week issued a suspension on all poultry exhibitions and sales in the state as the threat of bird flu continues to grow nationally.
The halt is a defensive move, said state Agriculture Commissioner Kent Leonhardt. It comes as waterfowl migrations are expected to peak in mid-March, which could threaten the health of both commercial and backyard flocks as potentially infected birds arrive in the region.
“Let’s say a waterfowl, an infected bird, comes down, mingles with a backyard flock, and gets that flock infected. Then [the farmer] brings that chicken or turkey to a swap meet or to a livestock auction before clinical signs are there and it spreads the infection,” Leonhardt said. “I’m trying to prevent that. So I put the ban on and it’s for everybody’s benefit … [it is] out of an abundance of caution and for the safety of everybody.”
The pause applies to all poultry exhibitions, shows, swaps, meets and sales at flea markets or auction markets. It will hold until at least early April, when the overall disease status in the area will be reassessed by state and federal regulators.
Overall, the threat of bird flu spread in West Virginia has remained relatively low since the current outbreak began in 2022. Since then, the disease has impacted two backyard flocks in the state, hitting about 260 total birds, according to data with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Leonhardt said state lab workers under his administration have run “hundreds of thousands” of bird flu tests over the last three years to stay on top of any possible infections. Any farmer or individual who has a bird flock — commercial or otherwise — should contact the Department of Agriculture immediately if they notice sudden changes in the flock’s behavior, widespread illness or death.
“I want to reassure that West Virginia has done better than most states in the avian influenza outbreak. The outbreak started in 2022 and, generally, it lasts a year and then it’s gone. But here we are in 2025 and the same influenza is still out there,” Leonhardt said. “West Virginia, however, is one of two states that has not had an outbreak in a commercial flock. And that, to me, is so very important and we want to keep it that way, so we have to take some extraordinary measures to do so.”
The pause and other measures to reduce the spread of bird flu in West Virginia are especially critical as the poultry industry is the state’s second largest agricultural market. If things were to escalate in the state, Leonhardt said, the consequences could be massive.
To prevent the spread of bird flu virus disease, the WVDA urges poultry owners to:
- Limit, monitor and record any movement of people, vehicles or animals on or off the farm.
- Permit only essential workers and vehicles to enter the farm.
- Avoid visiting other poultry farms or unnecessary travel off the farm.
- Disinfect equipment, vehicles, footwear and other items in contact with flocks.
- Change clothes before entering poultry areas and before exiting the property.
- Keep flocks away from wild or migratory birds, especially waterfowl.
- Isolate any ill animals and contact your veterinarian immediately.
Ron Williams, director of public relations for the West Virginia Farm Bureau, said infection rates in West Virginia represent “an amazing statistic” when considering how surrounding states are faring with the disease outbreak, especially recently.
In the last month, Ohio has reported outbreaks in 39 of the state’s commercial flocks affecting nearly 8 million birds, which was the most spread reported by any state over that time. In Pennsylvania, nearly 48,000 birds have been affected from outbreaks in two backyard flocks over the last month. Maryland reported infections at four commercial flocks and one backyard flock — totalling nearly 628,000 birds — over that same time period. Virginia, per the data, has seen two recent outbreaks — one commercial and one in a backyard flock — affecting about 441,000 birds.
Leonhardt said his office works regularly with similar officials in other states that are tracking the spread and fallout of bird flu infections. While the disease has been circulating for years now, Leonhardt said things escalated in recent months as infections are persisting outside of migration patterns.
“It seems that we’re getting more outbreaks earlier and that’s very concerning. We’ve had a pretty rough winter, and you wouldn’t think the disease was spread as well, but here we are,” Leonhardt said. “So it’s been that acceleration and the uptick in the surrounding states that got me concerned.”
While many things are in flux at the national level regarding both the publishing of public health information — including studies on the spread of bird flu — and available money for certain federally funded initiatives, Leonhardt said things at the state Department of Agriculture will continue operating the way that they have. Leonhardt said he and other agricultural officials in different states are “being very watchful” about federal directives that could impact either funding for or the performance of surveillance and prevention programs.
“If there’s a policy shift that we believe will hurt the [control of the] spread of animal diseases and even plant diseases, we’re going to make our voices heard,” Leonhardt said.