The International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE), known to many as simply the poultry convention, will proceed as planned Jan. 28-30 in Atlanta, despite the recent detections of Bird Flu in Georgia.
On Friday, the Georgia Department of Agriculture suspended all poultry exhibitions that display live birds, shows, swaps, meets and sales (e.g., flea market or auction market). However, Commissioner Tyler Harper confirmed that this does not apply to IPPE, given that no live birds will be present.
Friday is when state agriculture officials announced that bird flu had been found in a 45,000-bird flock of commercial poultry in Elbert County. Earlier in the week, they said it had been discovered in a backyard flock of birds.
The IPPE says it regularly adheres to good biosecurity protocols and encourages all attendees to take advantage of the biosecurity measures that will be used around the Georgia World Congress Center during the expo, including foot cleaning mats and hand sanitizer stations. The show partners also strongly recommend attendees remain free from contact with poultry, pigs and other livestock for a minimum of three to five days before visiting the IPPE. Additionally, as with any biosecurity plan, it is recommended that vehicles that have been on a farm to be cleaned and disinfected before driving them to IPPE.
The expo will have more than 597,900 square feet of exhibit space and feature 1,380-plus exhibitors. IPPE is a collaboration of three trade shows – International Feed Expo, International Poultry Expo and International Meat Expo – representing the entire chain of protein production and processing. The 2025 IPPE is sponsored by the American Feed Industry Association, Meat Institute and U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY).
More information about IPPE is available at www.ippexpo.org.
(2024 IPPE file photo)