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Fair Information
Resource Update for Maine Agricultural Fair Organizers 
From the Maine Animal Health Team
June 2025
As we prepare for the 2025 Maine Agricultural Fair season, the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Animal Health team would like to share an important reminder and update regarding our presence and support at fairs this year.
- Reminder: Our team provides regulatory oversight and support to agricultural fairs by promoting biosecurity, disease prevention, and compliance with animal health requirements. While we offer guidance and on-call assistance for animal health concerns during fairs, we do not provide direct veterinary care. Maine fairs are strongly encouraged to contract with private veterinarians to ensure appropriate medical care for animals on site.
- Update: Drs. Rachael Fiske, Kasia Szymanska, and Taryn Pearson will provide a phone-tree-based on-call veterinary support system for livestock superintendents during fair season. This system is designed to help address animal health and regulatory questions quickly and effectively.
- HPAI in poultry and cattle continues to be an emerging situation. Biosecurity is the first defense against this disease and many others. ME DACF has webpages that are regularly updated concerning HPAI and other animal disease concerns
We appreciate your ongoing commitment to animal health and welfare at Maine's agricultural fairs. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or need additional resources as you plan for the season ahead.
Thank you for your collaboration,
Animal Health Team
Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry
Division of Animal and Plant Health
28 State House Station, Augusta, ME 04333
Resources for Maine Agricultural Fair Organizers
Recommendations to Minimize Influenza
USDA APHIS has recommendations to minimize influenza transmission at dairy cattle livestock exhibitions. The recommendations reiterate the need for lactating animals moving interstate to an exhibition or show must have a negative test result from samples collected within seven days of movement. No cases have been detected in Maine livestock to date. Should there be an HPAI cattle detection in the state, we will reevaluate and adjust movement and testing recommendations related to events. Please also review the recommendations for milking cows at events, including:
- Disposal, not sold or fed to other livestock;
- Do not dump milk anywhere on the grounds outside of designated event tanks;
- All waste milk should be pasteurized (or similarly heat treated) or acidified before disposal.
CDC has two resources for fair exhibitors and organizers that may be useful:
General Fair Guides
- 2024 Fairs & Events Checklist (PDF)
- Animal ID Guide (PDF)
- Prepare to Repond (PDF)
- Exhibitor Recommendations (PDF)
- Quarantine Checklist (PDF)
- Info for Fair Exhibitors to Help Prevent Influenza - CDC
- Info for Fair Organizers to Help Prevent Influenza - CDC