The Indiana State Board of Animal Health is set to release the control area in Dubois County after an outbreak of avian flu last month. As long as there are no additional birds that test positive for avian flu by Monday, the 21 day testing period will end.
Additional requirements will be in effect for the ten farms that were depopulated. Those farms still are yet to house any birds since the initial outbreak.
The farms surrounding those will be free to trade and add chickens as they were before the outbreak. Until now, commercial businesses in the control area have needed to apply for a permit each time they sent out meat or egg products.
"Basically, especially the commercial operations, it will really let them get back to business as usual," says Denise Derrer of the Indiana Board of Animal Health.
Over 400,000 turkeys and chickens were depopulated as a result of the avian flu outbreak earlier this year.