Urge New York Governor Hochul to Permanently Shut Down Live Bird Markets

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On Friday, February 7, 2025, CNN reported New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s announcement “that the state is temporarily shutting down all live bird markets in New York City and Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk counties through February 14 after inspectors discovered seven cases of bird flu in poultry.”

Live bird markets are linked to frequent avian influenza outbreaks in the U.S. In Asia, these disease-ridden shops are called “wet” markets. Each year, New York and New Jersey markets alone sell more than 80 million chickens and other birds brought in from places no one keeps track of. Although live animal markets spread bird flu, bacterial diseases and the coronavirus to both humans and other animals, U.S. Department of Agriculture and state agriculture agencies refuse to permanently shut them down and pay mere lip service to regulating them.

What Can I Do?

Live bird markets are dirty, cruel, contaminated places. Please urge Governor Hochul to immediately close all live animal markets. If you are not a New York state resident, please tell Governor Hochul that the failure to permanently close New York’s live animal markets prevents you from visiting the state out of concern for the avian flu viruses, campylobacter bacteria and other transmittable respiratory and intestinal diseases being spread to the streets and the air by these markets in which infected chickens and other sick animals are kept in squalor.

Contact:

The Honorable Kathy Hochul
Governor of New York State
NYS State Capitol Building
Albany, NY 12224

Phone: 1-518-474-8390 | Office hours: 9:00am to 5:00pm

Governor Contact Form: www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form

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