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Swine welcome.
While officials running Vermont’s Ca-ledonia County Fair, the state’s oldest fair, have banned pigs this year because of misconceptions about how the H1N1 virus — the so-called swine flu — spreads, Garfield County Fair, which opens Sept. 9, has no such ban.
“It’s a non-issue,” said Greg Highfill, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Ser-vice area livestock specialist.
H1N1 has not been found in any swine in the United States, he said, making it unfortunate the swine industry has been hurt “to the tune of tens of millions of dollars” because of misconceptions about how the virus is spread.
Sheri Baumgardner, office manager for Garfield County Fair Association, said Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry has mandated “all swine show exhibitors to have a premises identification” before they can show at a fair or any other livestock show.
The premises ID allows the ag department to “track animals back to the farm of origin,” Highfill said.
“I’m glad they are taking the approach they are,” Baumgardner said, being proactive rather than banning swine and hurting kids who show swine.
Meanwhile, fair officials in Vermont said they took the action they did because they want to protect themselves from bad publicity or frivolous lawsuits if someone gets sick and blames it on a pig.
“The perception that swine flu was transmitted between pigs and human is why we did this. In reality, we know there’s no transmission between pigs and humans,” said Fair President Dick Lawrence.
Most other fairs across the country are going to great lengths this year to protect their pigs from people, since the virus can be transmitted to the animals by humans. Some are urging handwashing to protect the animals.
At the Oregon State Fair, visitors were met with pig barriers, recommended by the state veterinarian.
“Our pigs aren’t sick, are you?” read signs that will be posted at the fair. “If you’re not feeling well, don’t visit the pigs.”
In Maine, agriculture officials have distributed posters to fairs with swine exhibits that ask fairgoers to stay out of the exhibit areas if they are showing signs of having the flu.
“Right now, we’re more worried about people giving it to pigs, rather than vice versa,” said state veterinarian Don Hoenig.
The virus has turned up in herds in Canada, Argentina and Australia. In one rare instance, it might have jumped from pigs to two hog inspectors in Canada, but officials told the Canadian Press they could not be certain.
Calling the virus swine flu has led to confusion, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Chris Mather. Flu experts have said people cannot get H1N1 from handling pork.
National Pork Board has developed kits for fairs with signs urging fairgoers to wash hands and not to touch pigs.
“We do worry about any misconception that people may have that would think they have anything to fear from the pigs themselves,” said Liz Wagstrom, a veterinarian with National Pork Board.