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Australian avian influenza update
Poultry Industry Calendar of Events
2020
NOV 4-5 – Poultry Xpo, Stratford, Canada www.poultryxpo.ca
2021
FEB 9-10 – Australian Poultry Science Symposium, University of Sydney, NSW www.apss2021.com.au
APR 11-13 – Poultry Information Exchange/Australasian Milling Conference (PIX/AMC), Gold Coast, QLD www.pixamc.com.au
JUN 21-23 – European Symposium on the Quality of Poultry Meat and XIX European Symposium on the Quality of Eggs and Egg Products, Krakow, Poland www.eggmeat2021.com
AUG 8-12 – World Poultry Congress, Paris, France www.wpcparis2020.com
AUG 16-18 – World Poultry Science Association (WPSA) – Cambridge UK www.wpsa2020.org
How to supply event details: Send all details to National Poultry Newspaper, PO Box 387, Cleveland, Qld 4163, call 07 3286 1833 fax: 07 3821 2637, email: design@poultrynews.com.au
poultrynews.com.au
07 3286 1833
A FREE range egg farm near Lethbridge in Vic- toria has tested positive for H7N7 avian influ- enza virus.
revisions will be pub- lished on this website: https://agriculture.vic.gov. au/biosecurity/animal- diseases/poultry-diseases/ avian-influenza-bird-flu
• Turkeys.
where birds have been gathered from many sources
should only handle their own birds
Movement controls de- pendent on the risk, have been put in place in Gold- en Plains Shire and the af- fected property has been quarantined.
Avian influenza or ‘bird flu’ is a highly contagious viral disease affecting several species (mainly birds).
Many species of wild birds, including waterfowl and seabirds, can carry the virus but usually show no signs of disease.
• Inspect and clean bird areas at least once a week • Clean and disinfect
• Ensure that show birds undergo a quarantine period before they’re re- introduced to the home flock — while 21 days is sufficient for AI, a period of 6 weeks might be pref- erable as a general disease precaution
These controls prohibit until further notice the movement of birds, equip- ment and products within and out of the designated restricted area, except un- der permit issued by Agri- culture Victoria.
It is a zoonotic disease which can infect humans in rare cases, usually through contact with in- fected poultry.
People are not infected by eating chicken meat or eggs, or by contact with other infected people. Preventing avian influ- enza
and disinfected
• Remove sand and grit
• Keep records of bird movements to assist trace- back in the event of a disease outbreak
There are no food safety issues identified – prop- erly cooked chicken meat and eggs are safe to eat. Restricted and control area orders
AI is a notifiable dis- ease.
• Source birds directly from a reputable breeder or producer, rather than from a market or place
• Judges and handlers should disinfect hands between birds where pos- sible, while exhibitors
• Death of small propor- tions of the chicken flocks of 3-15 percent.
What to do if you sus- pect AI
Other helpful biosecu- rity measures include:
• Clean and disinfect all bird equipment, cages and containers before and af- ter shows
• Typical ‘sick bird’ signs — for example, ruf- fled feathers, dopiness and closed eyes
This means that legally you must report to an au- thority if you know of or suspect the presence of AI in any birds.
* continued P3
Infection of humans occurs rarely, usually through contact with in- fected poultry.
feed containers regularly • Don’t share equipment with other bird-keepers unless it’s been cleaned
All pigeon races, bird shows and bird sales in the areas around the quar- antined property should be cancelled, if not al- ready impacted by COV- ID-19 restrictions.
To minimise the risk of AI outbreaks in domestic birds, prevent contact be- tween poultry and wild waterfowl and their drop- pings.
• Clean concrete floors, walls and aviary wire thoroughly, and scrub down with detergent.
• Consider having a vet- erinarian present or con- tactable on show days. Clinical signs to look out for
To control the spread of avian influenza, birds on the affected property are being destroyed.
• Highly pathogenic (HPAI) strains, which can cause severe clinical signs and potentially high mortality rates among poultry.
Poultry producers and bird-keepers should im- plement the following minimum biosecurity measures:
Preventing wild bird ac- cess is relatively straight- forward when birds are enclosed in poultry hous- es but may be difficult where birds range freely over open areas. Minimising risk at bird shows
The clinical signs of AI infection are variable and influenced greatly by:
Agriculture Victoria is conducting surveillance throughout the area to de- termine whether the virus is contained to the prop- erty or may be a risk to other properties.
• Prevent access to surface water that may have been contaminated by wild waterfowl (such as ponds, lakes, creeks, channels, dams, puddles and water troughs) or only using a chlorinated (2 to 3 PPM) water source
While bird shows are a great opportunity for breeders and exhibitors to showcase breeds and compete for coveted ti- tles, there’s some risk of disease spread because of close contact among birds and handlers from differ- ent locations.
• The species affected
• Age
•Concurrent bacterial
Agriculture Victoria is sampling birds on the in- fected property and re- stricted area, and results will be known shortly.
AI virus is carried by wild birds, particularly waterfowl and shorebirds, around the world – for the most part without caus- ing any apparent clinical disease.
Clinical signs range from inapparent to mild or severe and can include:
The Victorian Depart- ment of Health and Hu- man Services confirmed the H7N7 virus is not a risk to the public as it rarely affects humans, un- less there is direct and close contact with sick birds.
Occasionally, when ex- posure to wild birds oc- curs, AI can infect do- mestic birds and spread rapidly.
• Ensure visitors are on- ly permitted to enter bird areas after donning pro- tective clothing and going through a foot bath con- taining a viricidal agent effective in the presence of organic matter.
• Coughing, sneezing or rasping respiration
AI virus strains are usu- ally classified into two categories according to the severity of disease in poultry:
from the aviary between batches of birds, and eve- ry few months for resident birds
• Don’t display water- fowl in pavilions or ar- eas that house poultry, pigeons or other birds
• Low pathogenic (LPAI) strains, which typically cause few or no clinical signs in poultry and may go undetected due to the lack of symp- toms in some species of birds. LPAI can result in some mortality.
• Bird-proof housing and feed storage areas
• The virulence of the viruses involved
• Restrict access of peo- ple to bird areas
Basic and effective bios- ecurity measures at bird shows to help prevent the spread of diseases include:
• Respiratory distress (can be confused with in- fectious laryngotracheitis)
• Don’t introduce any birds to the show if there’s illness in the home flock
• Rapid drop in feed in- take, water intake and egg production
disease
• The environment.
Signs of LPAI
Technical Systems Australia Tel: 07 5429 2028
Mobile: 0424 413 484 scotty@tsa.tech
reception@tsa.tech www.tsa.tech
The restricted and con- trol area orders are leg- islative instruments used to prevent, control or eradicate the spread of a livestock exotic disease, in this case avian influenza.
Regularly check your birds and immediately report any unusual signs of disease to your state authority or local vet. Risk to Australia
The orders are made by the Minister or Chief Vet- erinary Officer under the Livestock Disease Control Act 1994.
There have been oc- casional outbreaks of in- ternationally notifiable HPAI and LPAI on poul- try farms in Australia.
In this instance, the or- ders have been signed by the CVO and are in effect for 72 hours.
On each occasion the outbreak was quickly de- tected and stamped out, and only a small number of farms were affected.
After that time, the CVO may sign further short- term orders, or the Min- ister may sign orders for longer durations.
Annual migration of wild birds has the ongo- ing potential to introduce new subtypes of AI virus to Australian birds.
HAVE YOUR SAY!
All producers are encouraged
to send in letters to be published in NPN, outlining any concerns
or issues they may have with the industry.
This is an open forum where you can cover any topic, whether for or against an issue.
Please send your letters to: editorial@poultrynews.com.au or PO Box 387, Cleveland QLD 4163
The orders may declare any land, premises, place or area to be a restricted and control areas, specify- ing any prohibitions, re- strictions or requirements to operate within those areas.
A need for sound bi- osecurity to prevent wild bird exposure to domestic poultry and ongoing vigi- lance to facilitate rapid re- sponse should an outbreak of LPAI or HPAI occur always exists.
The orders declare the Golden Plains Shire to be a control area and within that, an area be- tween Meredith, Shelford and Lethbridge to be a restricted area.
Species affected by AI
The orders are required to be published in the Government Gazette.
• Domestic fowl • Ducks
• Geese
• Guinea fowl
These orders and future
• Ostriches • Pheasants • Quail
The following birds are most susceptible to being affected by AI:
NATIONAL
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Page 2 – National Poultry Newspaper, August 2020
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