(Radio Iowa) – A dairy specialist with I-S-U Extension says the number of dairy entries at county fairs has been down in areas of northwest Iowa due to bird flu outbreaks. Fred Hall says entries in Sioux County, for example, fell 30 percent.  “Absolutely, it’s a concern. Probably the biggest reason is it can go from a bird to a cow to a human. Now, fortunately, cows get sick, and they go off production, but they don’t die. You don’t have to euthanize them,” he says. Every competitor must show proof of a negative test to allow their cow in.  “If they’re coming from a premise where there are lactating cows, has to have a bulk tank test and has to then have a sick pin test, and they all have to be negative,” he says.

Hall also stresses that pasteurized milk is safe to drink. “The high-path virus is not very durable. So, once it’s been exposed to the traditional pasteurization temperatures, it’s dead,” Hall says. “You may find particles and pieces, but there’s no virus that can cause the contamination to spread.”

The Iowa State Fair is one week away and Hall says officials with the Fair also expect fewer dairy cow competitors due to the bird flu.

(By Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio)