Page 10 - National Poultry News

Biosecurity and what it means to Australia
Improving regional workplace safety
THE NSW govern- ment is helping busi- nesses return to nor- mal trade through the launch of a new suite of resources to guide businesses as they manage the risk of COVID-19.
farms and agricultural businesses, hotels, of- fices, construction sites and warehouses,” Mr Anderson said.
Deputy Premier and Member for Monaro John Barilaro and Minister for Better Regulation Kevin An- derson launched the resources at a farm in Hoskinstown and said the resources go a long way to supporting re- gional businesses in NSW.
“The materials avail- able include practical, inexpensive guidance to keep your workers safe during this time.
“Now that COVID restrictions are easing, it’s time to get NSW’s regional economy back up and running,” Mr Barilaro said.
“That’s simply not true so long as you have the right meas- ures in place.”
“I encourage every business to jump on- line and download these simple yet pow- erful tools to map out a safe way back to business that makes life easier for custom- ers and workers as we make our way into re- covery.”
• Avoiding close con- tact in vehicles and lowering windows for ventilation;
Mr Anderson said these new materials have been specifically created for non-cus- tomer facing business- es to ensure everyone across the state has access to industry-spe- cific, practical guid- ance to prevent the spread of the virus.
• Communication over phone or radio rather than in person where possible; and
“76,957 businesses have already down- loaded the NSW Gov- ernment’s COVID Safety Plans, and we’ve now created additional resources for regional businesses such as
The new campaign materials including social media tiles, downloadable posters and checklists for all NSW agricultural businesses are available at nsw.gov. au/covid-19/industry- guidelines/agriculture
“Common miscon- ceptions for agricul- tural workers are you can’t ride in a car with others or that you can’t hire seasonal workers anymore.
Some of the meas- ures agricultural busi- nesses and farms can take include:
• Checking that workers are not dis- playing COVID symp- toms;
• Ensuring drivers assisting with loading stock minimise contact with surfaces;
• Contactless deliv- ery through electronic paperwork rather than signature on delivery.
AUSTRALIA is cur- rently free of the world’s worst animal diseases such as African swine fever, foot-and-mouth disease and avian influ- enza H5N1.
they come into contact with.
What to look out for
2012, Victoria in 1976, 1985 and 1992, and in Queensland in 1994. Treatment
Biosecurity campaigns have been undertaken with bird fanciers, small rural landholders and rec- reational shooters. Outbreak response ca- pability
devastating effects on Australia’s poultry meat and egg industries, which contribute enormously to the Australian economy.
Animal pests and dis- eases are a major threat to Australia’s livestock and poultry industries and an outbreak could impact on our access to export mar- kets and undermine liveli- hoods.
The clinical signs are variable and depend on a range of factors including the virulence of the virus, the species and age of the birds infected, the pres- ence of concurrent diseas- es and the environment.
Avian influenza is a severe viral disease and there is currently no ef- fective treatment available for birds once clinical signs of disease appear.
Australia is well pre- pared to handle an out- break of avian influenza should the disease occur here because of past ex- perience, international connections, linkages with health and well-test- ed emergency response plans.
As an example, in 2003 the Netherlands culled over 30 million birds in order to eradicate the dis- ease, the cost of which was more than $A252 million.
There is an ongoing need to practice good bi- osecurity and report the first signs of disease.
Common signs to look for are:
However, routine vacci- nation for AI is not per- mitted in Australia. Transmission
Animal health authori- ties have had contingency plans in place for many years to minimise the im- pact of an outbreak of AI in Australia.
Each additional human case gives the virus an opportunity to improve its transmissibility in hu- mans.
Biosecurity means pro- tecting the economy, en- vironment and the com- munity from the negative impacts of pests, disease, weeds and contaminants.
• ruffled feathers;
Avian influenza is spread by wild birds – particularly ducks – con- taminating food or water supplies.
The severity of disease and estimated number of deaths caused by a pan- demic virus vary greatly and will not be known prior to the emergence of the virus.
Biosecurity practices include disinfecting, sig- nage, maintaining bound- ary fences, checking for strays, restricting visitor and vehicle movements, ensuring all machinery brought onto the property is cleaned, good husband- ry, ensuring purchases are from reliable sources, in- specting the flock or herd regularly and quarantin- ing new stock.
• reluctance to move, eat or drink;
Migratory birds, pre- dominantly shore birds and waders from nearby countries in South-East Asia, can pose a risk if they harbour AI infection and then mingle with and transmit this infection to waterfowl that are nomad- ic within Australia.
Avian influenza or bird flu
never been reported in Australia, though the Australian government has been aware of this strain of the disease since its emergence in 1997 and again when it took hold in many Asian countries in 2003.
These nomadic birds can then mingle with and spread the infection to domestic birds such as poultry.
Border protection and biosecurity
This hotline number will put you in touch with your local department of pri- mary industries or agri- culture.
Bird flu is a highly in- fectious disease of birds, and several strains may affect humans.
There have been seven outbreaks of other highly pathogenic avian influ- enza strains – which have not caused disease in hu- mans – in commercial bird flocks in Australia, all of which were success- fully eradicated.
Talk to your local vet, the chief veterinary of- ficer in your state or ter- ritory, or call the 24-hour Emergency Animal Dis- ease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888 if an out- break is suspected. Further information
All bird species are thought to be susceptible to bird flu and the disease can affect more than 140 bird species.
The disease can survive in faeces, on feathers, eggs or meat and in water.
Birds, poultry meat and poultry products includ- ing eggs, egg products, feathers, and vaccines from overseas can carry diseases including AI.
For detailed informa- tion on farm biosecurity measures and toolkit, visit farmbiosecurity.com.au
Many wild birds and wa- terfowl – especially geese, ducks and swans – carry the virus but generally don’t show signs of the disease.
The last reported case was in 2013 in Young, NSW.
If you own birds, don’t let their water and feed become contaminated, and store feed in a sealed container away from wild birds.
Poultry meat and prod- ucts are not allowed into Australia and are seized and destroyed by biosecu- rity inspection and quar- antine agencies.
For more information on avian influenza and bird biosecurity, visit the agriculture.com.au website pages or consult the nationally agreed response plan AUSVETPLAN Disease Strategy – Avian Influenza.
However, they can infect other birds and poultry
Previous outbreaks oc- curred in commercial poultry farms in NSW in
Only use town or bore water – if these sources are not available, drinking water should be treated with chlorine or other methods that would inac- tivate the virus.
In very severe forms such as H5N1 the disease appears suddenly, and birds die quickly.
Vaccines are available for certain subtypes of AI, which may protect poultry from clinical signs of dis- ease if they subsequently become infected.
The risk of a human pandemic influenza is se- rious.
• sudden death in several birds;
• unusual head or neck posture;
• inability to walk or stand;
These procedures are outlined in the Austral- ian Veterinary Emergency Plan.
• droopy appearance;
• respiratory distress;
• diarrhoea;
• swollen head, wattle or
AUSVETPLAN de- scribes the response measures that will be used should an outbreak occur, including the culling of infected birds, disposal method used for carcasses and sanitary measures that will be adopted at infection sites to contain the disease.
Report suspected dis- eases
comb; and
• a drop in egg produc-
If you spot anything un- usual in livestock or birds, report the suspect disease by phoning the Exotic Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888.
tion.
The H5N1 strain has
The disease is also spread by animal to ani- mal contact, bites and scratches as well as the movement of infected live birds and poultry prod- ucts or contaminated feed, equipment and materials.
Biosecurity officers at airports, seaports and international mail cen- tres have been on high alert for bird and poultry products since the first, isolated cases of AI were reported in Asia in late 2003.
Outbreak
Use netting or fencing to keep out wild birds.
All incoming interna- tional mail is also subject to biosecurity interven- tion.
More information on AI is also available from the Northern Australia Quar- antine Strategy section of the agriculture.com.au website, as avian influ- enza is a target disease under this program.
Regularly clean bird equipment and pens with a household disinfect- ant, and do not share bird equipment with other bird owners.
Additionally, incoming international passengers’ baggage may be X-rayed, inspected or checked by detector dogs for biosecu- rity risk items.
Information about cur- rent national eradication programs is available on the government website outbreak.gov.au
Always thoroughly wash your hands and clothing with soap and hot water before and after handling birds.
Surveillance for avian influenza is undertaken under the Northern Aus- tralia Quarantine Strategy as bird flu is a target dis- ease under this program. Impact of an outbreak
This website also pro- vides information on how to prevent and prepare for an outbreak and what to do in the event of an out- break.
Footwear can be cleaned with normal household disinfectants, washing soda and vinegar. Biosecurity
A highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in Australia would have
The chicken meat and egg industries in Austral- ia have strict biosecurity systems in place that in- clude provisions to keep wild birds away from pro- duction birds.
Page 10 – National Poultry Newspaper, July 2020
The Australian govern- ment has been working hard to make all Austral- ian bird owners aware of the threat of AI and the importance of keeping pests and diseases away from birds and livestock.
Photo: Alexas Fotos
www.poultrynews.com.au
Poultry farmers are on high alert and are backed up by diagnostic facilities and response plans, the equal of anywhere in the world.
Biosecurity isn’t just the responsibility of commer- cial producers.