HPAI Alerts

Dairy exhibitors acknowledge the associated risks of showing and exhibiting lactating dairy cattle at shows and exhibitions in light of HPAI concerns.

Dairy exhibitors also acknowledge that shows and exhibitions are employing reasonable, yet responsible bio security measures, but shall not be considered the authority or the regulation enforcer. For all federal and Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s regulations and updates, exhibitors are encouraged to consult https://www.fdacs.gov/ and https://www.aphis.usda.gov/livestock-poultry-disease/avian/avian-influenza/hpai-detections/livestock. The South Florida Fair should not be considered to provide the financial means, supplies or staffing for implementation of bio security measures.

Whether for show or exhibition at the South Florida Fair, the following criteria must be met and verified for all lactating cows:

• Official documentation showing the current negative test for each individual cow with the date, time and test results. Copies must be provided to the South Florida Fair at the time of check-in.
• Only farms identified and approved by the USDA’s Monitoring Program and issued a valid program number are exempt from individual cow tests. However official documentation showing the date, time and results of the current test is required. Copies of the current testing results must be provided to the South Florida Fair by the exhibitor at check-in.

Exhibitors with lactating cows at the South Florida Fair must also agree to:

• Abide and follow all federal and Florida orders and rules surrounding HPAI and all other animal health regulations
• Bring own tools: blowers, fans, wheel barrows, forks, rakes, water/feed bucks
• No communal watering troughs
• No teat stripping on open shavings, pavement; must use containers
• No unloading animals until inspectors conduct their reviews on trailers
• Only fair-issued credentialed exhibitors allowed in barn areas
• Milk disposal; no ground dumping
• No use of fair’s milking facility/equipment.. Exhibitors must bring their own

Since the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in dairy cows, regulatory agencies and the industry have been taking precautions to limit the spread of the disease. Milking cows from a tested negative herd is considered a low-risk activity. Milking procedures, milk disposal and exhibitor requirements are based on the low to medium-risk recommendations.

Enhanced biosecurity measures in place for the 2025 South Florida Fair are:

1. Movement/Housing
   1. Dairy cows from different herds will be stalled on the exterior portion of the barn. Lactating cows will be on the aisles closest to the milk room.
   2. All dairy cattle will have separate water for each herd/owner. Exhibitors will not allow their cattle to stop at any other exhibitor’s water source.
   3. Exhibitors will provide their own tools and no sharing of tools between exhibitors is allowed. Tools should be brought to the fair clean and free of manure and organic matter.
2. Milking
   1. All exhibitors are responsible for their own milking equipment and supplies

i.Paper towels, gloves, dip cup, teat dip, strip cup/ bucket for fore stripping.

1. Proper milking procedure should be followed by all exhibitors

i.Wear gloves and or wash hands before and after milking. Dip each entire teat with effective teat dip, leave on for 45 seconds, strip each quarter 5-7 times and observe milk for abnormalities, wipe each teat clean with individual paper towel, attach milking unit, observe to ensure milk flow, remove when milking complete, dip each entire teat with effective teat dip.

1. Discard milk (from milking and fore stripping) in approved area.
2. Clean all milking equipment and proper disposal of gloves and paper towels after milking.
3. Use 2000 ppm chlorine dioxide solution (1 cup bleach in 2 gallons water) in pump sprayers on any area where milk spills occur in milking area or milk room.
1. Exhibitors
   1. Attend exhibitor webinar to understand expectation for the 2025 fair. The link will be sent to all dairy exhibitors after the December 13 close of entries.
   2. Wear clean clothing and boots each day.
   3. Wear closed toed shoes that can be disinfected in a footbath when milking cows and entering the milk room.
   4. Keep stalling area clean and immediately clean up manure, urine, and any milk spills.
   5. Use appropriate PPE (personal protective equipment) safety glasses, gloves, appropriate clothing when handling raw milk and disinfectants.
   6. The Fair’s Dairy Committee will change footbath solution 3x per day with 2000ppm chlorine dioxide solution.
2. Guests/Visitors
   Some diseases or infections are called Zoonotic. That means it can travel from animals to people OR from people to animals. Please help protect exhibits animals and YOU by not touching animals (or their feed, water, bedding, etc).
3. Exhibitors
   Some infectious diseases can be transmitted by moving between animal species without proper biosecurity. When traveling between animal species at the fair, wash and disinfect your hands and boots. If any organic material from one species (fecal matter, urine, manure, milk, mucus, saliva, etc.) is on your clothing, change clothes before contact with another species.