Birds Need Your Help -- Demand Bird Flu Plan from Gov't Representatives

[Guest guest]

Birds Need Your Help -- Demand Bird Flu Plan from Gov't

Representatives

 

Hi,

 

I was recently speaking with our state vets, agricultural

commissioners, and government representatives about what they would

do should bird flu be discovered in my county. I was told that the

government would kill all of the chickens in my county, or they

simply didn't know the answer. I have chickens and ducks, and I told

them that I had implemented biosecurity precautions to prevent them

from getting disease, such as bird flu. I asked, why wouldn't I be

able to have the chickens tested before they were killed? I was told

I could " request " it. That's not good enough for me.

 

I'm sure you've heard of the millions of chickens that have been

killed due to past epidemics. What's interesting is that Europe has

published guidelines to prevent transmission of bird flu between

birds, but the US had not. What would happen should a pandemic of

this kind come to our country? Probably all that would remain are

the large factory farms with closed facilities. People with backyard

pets and free-range or pastured operations will suffer heavy losses,

and the factory farms would get a huge boost. Avian influenza is

spread by migrating birds and their feces.

 

Here is a statement by someone who has birds in Canada:

 

" When we had the AI [avian influenza] outbreak here the small flock

owners were allowed to test at their own expence, had to be done

every 2 weeks minimum, and then all birds in the 'hot zone' were

culled anyway, regardless of test results. The lab tests were only

offered to owners in the hot zone as they said they did not have the

resources to do everyone, so it was just a waste of money and gave

false hope. Hopefully with forward action you can make it work out

for your area. "

 

Please contact your local representatives and ask them to do the

following:

 

- Publish and distribute a clear list of minimal biosecurity

standards that must be met for a flock to not be automatically

killed. Usually, it simply involves preventing contact with wild

birds.

 

- Develop a procedure for testing a biosecure flock so it doesn't

have to be culled.

 

- If there are not resources for testing all of the flocks, then

create a plan for increasing resources so all flocks can be tested.

 

I think we need to be pro-active before a hysterical situation

develops (and hopefully it never will...), so please contact your

representatives now.

 

Thanks,

Cheryl