Page 15 - National Poultry Newspaper

Bird flu outbreak confirmed in Victoria
Philippines bans
Australian poultry
imports due to AI
AN additional egg farm near Melbourne has tested positive to avian influenza, prompting the state’s agriculture department to order all commercial free range egg farms in the area to house their flocks in- doors for 30 days.
which is the strain de- tected on both Lethbridge properties, is not a risk to the public.
highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks on Australian poultry farms since 1976, three had oc- curred in the past eight years.
flock separate from all other birds, and report any cases of unexplained bird deaths to the Emer- gency Animal Disease Watch Hotline on 1800 675 888, their local vet or Agriculture Victoria ani- mal health staff.
Agriculture Victoria re- ports H7N7 is a “highly contagious disease that predominantly affects chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, guinea fowl, quail, pheasants and ostriches.”
It comes soon after the bird flu outbreak was identified at another free range egg farm in Leth- bridge.
“Only people who come into close contact with infected birds or their se- cretions, or are close con- tacts of confirmed cases, are considered at risk.”
“Free range production poses a higher risk be- cause it is more likely that the virus can be in- troduced from wild wa- terfowl to domestic poul- try in these types of prop- erties, when compared to conventional indoor poul- try raising.
• Birds with difficulty breathing, such as cough- ing, sneezing or rasping
“This is provided the birds were slaughtered or processed on or be- fore July 3, or 21 days prior to the outbreak,” Mr Dar said.
That farm was placed under quarantine, had birds destroyed and had a restricted buffer zone established around it.
“Keep your poultry sheds, yards, aviaries and equipment clean.
• Swelling and purple discolouration of the head, comb, wattles and neck
It was the eighth highly pathogenic avian influ- enza outbreak on an Aus- tralian poultry farm in the past 44 years.
“Modelling suggests there’s a 6-7 percent in- crease in the risk of an avian influenza outbreak in the country for each 25 percent shift from indoor to free range systems,” Assoc Prof Hernandez- Jover said.
“Ensure footwear is clean when re-entering your property, always wash hands before and after handling birds or eggs, and quarantine new birds before integrating with existing ones,” Dr Cooke said.
• Ruffled feathers, dopi- ness, closed eyes
Australia, which ac- counts for less than one percent of the Philip- pines’ poultry imports, has confirmed the out- break at the egg farm in Victoria.
Consumers are being told there are no food safety issues, and prop- erly cooked chicken meat and eggs are safe to eat.
Both properties will remain under quarantine without birds until it is safe for them to restock.
Many species of wild birds, including water- fowl and seabirds, can also carry the virus.
The ban covers poultry meat, day old chicks, eggs and se- men the Department of Agriculture said in its August 14 order.
But experts say the out- break is a reminder to all bird owners, includ- ing people with backyard chickens, of the impor- tance of good biosecurity.
Victorian Farmers Fed- eration egg group presi- dent Brian Ahmed said the carriers of the virus were “more than likely wild birds.”
Agriculture Victoria said all previous out- breaks had been success- fully eradicated.
Recent research sug- gested more information was needed to ensure bi- osecurity was better un- derstood and implement- ed, particularly among smaller, free-range pro- ducers.
Most people show no symptoms, or have mild conjunctivitis or flu-like illness if infected with AI, according to the DHHS.
Avian influenza can infect humans, though there is limited evi- dence of human-to- human transmission, according to health experts.
The Southeast Asian country also declared a temporary ban on Brazilian poultry meat products, after two cities in China found traces of the new coronavirus in cargoes of imported frozen food, including chicken wings from the South American country.
An initial notification from the World Organi- sation for Animal Health advised the first farm identified in the outbreak had two separate sheds, and all 21,750 birds in one shed were affected.
An associate professor of veterinary epidemi- ology and public health from the Graham Centre for Agricultural Innova- tion at Charles Sturt Uni- versity Marta Hernan- dez-Jover said the move to more free range egg farming had increased the risk of avian influ- enza outbreaks because there were more chances for farmed animals to in- teract with wild birds.
The current controls im- plemented by Agriculture Victoria only apply to bird owners in Victoria’s Golden Plains Shire, and ban the moving of birds, related equipment or prod- ucts without a permit.
While research identi- fied larger producers with well-developed bi- osecurity management systems in place, it also identified the diversity of decisions and degrees of biosecurity awareness at farm level for smaller producers, particularly in the free range sector.
Humans do not trans- mit the infection to others easily – it appears to take close contact with a sick person over several days before contraction.
But before you panic, Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Ser- vices believes the H7N7 avian influenza virus,
A restricted area buff- er zone has been put in place around both infect- ed farms in Victoria.
But the World Organi- sation for Animal Health reports that while most AI viruses do not infect humans, several strains have caused serious and even fatal infections in people.
Human infections are primarily acquired through direct contact with infected animals or contaminated envi- ronments.
Brazil has the world’s second worst COV- ID-19 outbreak after the US, recording more than 3.4 million cases and deaths of close to 110,000 since the pan- demic began.
www.poultrynews.com.au
National Poultry Newspaper, September 2020 – Page 15
The DHHS said: “On rare occasions, this strain of avian influenza has been known to infect and cause disease in humans who have had close con- tact with infected poul- try.”
There has also been an increase in the number of low pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks.
Signs of the disease in birds may include:
RECENTLY the Philippines’s poultry industry has tempo- rarily banned the im- portation of domestic and wild birds and their products from Australia, after the presence of the high- ly pathogenic H7N7 avian influenza virus was detected at an egg farm.
ments from Australia with import clearance issued on or before Au- gust 6 will be allowed entry.
All workers and bios- ecurity officers at the af- fected properties will be wearing personal protec- tive equipment.
“Restrict contact be- tween your poultry and wild birds and limit visi- tors to your flock.
• Rapid drop in eating, drinking and egg produc- tion
The Philippines has seen its own outbreaks of avian influenza, with the latest involv- ing the highly infec- tious H5N6 subtype of the virus detected at an egg farm in San Luis town in Pampanga Province in July.
She said that of the eight
Domestic bird and backyard chicken own- ers in Golden Plains are also advised to keep their
First appeared on abc. net.au
Agriculture Secre- tary William Dar said all incoming ship-
Victoria’s Chief Ven- terinary Officer Graeme Cooke advised all bird owners to practise good biosecurity.
• Sudden death
■ Here’s my Card ■ Here’s my Card ■ Here’s my Card
LALLEMAND ANIMAL NUTRITION
Alex Turney
Managing Director, AUS, NZ, RSA & IDN
Mob: 0419 005 511 | aturney@lallemand.com
www.lallemandanimalnutrition.com
Associate Professor Peter Groves BVSc MANZCVS PhD Director Poultry Research Founda on
Faculty of Science
The University of Sydney- Camden Campus
N138 JL Shute Building C01
425 Werombi Road, Brownlow Hill NSW 2570 Australia
SPECIFIC FOR YOUR SUCCESS
INSPIRED MOLECULAR SOLUTIONSTM
+61 2 9351 1612 +61 2 9351 1693 (fax) peter.groves@sydney.edu.au sydney.edu.au
+61 418 118 005
• Diarrhoea.
Matt Henry
Country Manager (AgriFood Australia)
Suite 6-7, 694 Pacific Highway, Killara NSW 2071, Sydney, Australia & New Zealand Phone: 61 2 9844 5700 | Fax: 61 2 9418 2544
Phone: 1300 815 888
(+61) 07 3281 3200
Fax: 1300 816 888
(+61) 07 3281 8295 enquiries@santrev.com.au
PO Box 95, Ipswich Queensland Australia 4305
www.santrev.com
The Chicken Grower’s Choice
R & E SHEDS
Lot 63 Mersey Rd Bringelly NSW 2556 Fax: 02 4774 8415
Etienne Mifsud Mob: 0428 481 811 Mob: 0417 481 811
1300-R&R Sheds BC.indd 1
2/8/11 7:19:33 PM
Built to Last
Of ce: 02 4774 8764 Email: reshed@bigpond.com
www.stockyardindustries.com
54 King Street, Clifton Queensland, Australia 4361 Telephone: 07 4697 3344 Facsimile: 07 4697 3532
Better outcomes through advanced systems
Steven Clohesy
Mobile: 0427 733 141
Email: steven@stockyardindustries.com
Tin Phung
Mobile: 0400 075 193
Email: tin@stockyardindustries.com
DrTom Harrison BVSc
Business Manager - Swine & Poultry
27-33 Piper Lane East Bendigo Victoria 3550 PO Box 2388 Bendigo DC 3554
M: +61 428 668 266 P: +613 5445 5435 F: +613 5445 5914 E: tom.harrison@apiam.com.au
BASF Australia Ltd. Level 12 28 Freshwater Place Southbank VIC 3006 Mobile +61 457 104 105 Fax +61 3 8855 6511 leon.hall@basf.com www.animal-nutrition.basf.com
Leon Hall
MBA, B.Sc.(Agric.) (Hons.) Anim. Sci.
Industry Manager, Animal Nutrition Australia & New Zealand
mob: 0439 136 602 matthew.henry@kemin.com