GREENVILLE, Ohio (WDTN) – Ohio Governor John Kasich visited a Darke County turkey farm Monday to discuss the state’s efforts to contain the bird flu.
He met with 4-H students who are among those most affected by a state ban on birds at fairs and sales this year.
The governor says he empathasizes with the students who have worked hard all year to get to this point, but he stresses that biosecurity must be a top priority.
“Over the last four year– four and a half years I guess now– we’ve had a lot of crises over the state,” Kasich reflected. “You’re never going to get it all right. You never want to say we’ve got this all figured, but we’ve got a quick response team in many different ways”.
Ohio announced the ban early this month in an effort to keep the avian flu out of Ohio. Minnesota and Iowa are currently dealing with a bird flu epidemic.
Poultry is a $2.3-billion industry in Ohio. Ohio is the second largest egg producer in the country with more than 28-million laying chickens.
The Ohio egg business employees 15,000 people.
