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[Market-farming] Flock-Killing Planned if Bird Flu Found
- From: Leigh Hauter <lhh AT direcway.com>
- To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
- Subject: [Market-farming] Flock-Killing Planned if Bird Flu Found
- Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2006 21:12:55 -0400
Title: Flock-Killing Planned if Bird Flu Found
Flock-Killing Planned if Bird Flu
Found
WASHINGTON, Apr. 19, 2006
(AP) If deadly bird flu shows up
in U.S. chickens or turkeys, the government will kill off any flocks
suspected of having the virus even before tests are completed,
officials said Wednesday.
At greater risk are free-ranging chickens and
small, backyard flocks _ as many as 60,000 in Los Angeles
alone.
If bird flu arrives, "quick detection
will be key to quickly containing it and eradicating it," said
Ron DeHaven, head of the Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service.
Most of America's chickens come from big
commercial farms that keep birds indoors and are well-protected
against the spread of disease. Yet there are many flocks in people's
backyards _ officials are unsure how many _ and free-range flocks that
are outdoors and could mix with wild birds or their
droppings.
Officials encourage those producers to bring
flocks inside and watch for signs of flu _ dead birds; lack of
appetite; purple wattles, combs and legs; coughing or sneezing;
diarrhea _ and report them immediately to state or federal
authorities.
"We can't afford for this virus to be
smoldering six months before we find it," DeHaven said in an
interview with The Associated Press.
Owners will want to report sick birds because
they will be paid fair market value for destroyed flocks, DeHaven
said. Stopping the spread of bird flu has been more difficult in
countries that can't afford to compensate farmers, he
added.
The virulent strain of bird flu spreading
through Asia, Europe and Africa has killed 110 people and hundreds of
millions of birds. Scientists fear it could mutate into a form that
spreads easily among people, sparking a worldwide
epidemic.
Authorities say it's likely to arrive in the
United States this year. The government is testing more wild birds
than usual, as many as 100,000 in Alaska and other migratory pathways.
Chicken and turkey companies are testing nearly every flock for the
virus.
"If the virus does arrive in the U.S., we
think we'll find it quickly," he said. "We don't think that
it would ever make it into the food chain."
Regardless, poultry is safe to eat if people
cook it to 165 degrees and follow basic kitchen safety rules, DeHaven
said.
If the virus turns up in commercial chickens
or turkeys, the government plans to quarantine the farm, restrict bird
movements within about two miles and boost testing within about six
miles.
If screening tests suggest a potentially
virulent flu virus is present, and the birds show signs of flu,
they'll be killed immediately, even before more detailed testing is
finished, DeHaven said. Flocks would be confined and killed with
carbon dioxide gas, essentially putting them to sleep, DeHaven said.
Authorities refer to this as "depopulation."
Disposal of dead birds is tricky, because they
still may carry the virus. In the past, large numbers of birds have
been buried, put in landfills or incinerated, but those things can be
expensive and cause bureaucratic hassles.
Now, the industry intends to compost the
carcasses inside houses where birds are killed.
To be composted, carcasses are layered with
mulch, hosed down and left alone, inside, for four to six weeks, said
Richard Lobb, spokesman for the National Chicken Council, an industry
group. Intense heat generated by composting is more than enough to
kill the virus, Lobb said.
The government has vaccines to protect poultry
from the virus but is reluctant to use them because vaccinated birds
can still spread the virus without appearing sick, said John Clifford,
the department's chief veterinarian. Vaccines could be used in flocks
surrounding the area of an outbreak, he said.
___
On the Net:
Agriculture Department: http://www.usda.gov
Biosecurity for the birds campaign: http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/birdbiosecurity/
- [Market-farming] Flock-Killing Planned if Bird Flu Found, Leigh Hauter, 04/19/2006
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