(AP/KSBY) – State agricultural authorities are further restricting movement of birds as they work to eradicate virulent Newcastle disease from a large area of Southern California.
State Veterinarian Annette Jones on Wednesday modified a quarantine that requires reporting of sick birds and prohibits poultry owners from moving birds in all of Los Angeles County and in large areas of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.
The latter areas extend from the northern and southern borders of western Riverside County to the Salton Sea, including the Coachella Valley, and as far east as Yucca Valley in San Bernardino County. The northern boundary is State Route 58 at the Kern County line.
Authorities have been trying to stop the disease since May 2018. The number of euthanized birds is expected to soon surpass 1 million.
While the quarantine does not include the Central Coast, the Santa Maria Fairpark Board has decided to cancel the poultry show at this summer’s Santa Barbara County Fair as a precaution.
