AVIAN INFLUENZA UPDATE
1. Mandated Slaughter of 19 Million Birds in Canada
2. Depopulation Rationale and Resistance
3. Blame
4. U.S. Outbreaks
5. Chicken Lobby Backs Anti-Cockfighting Bills; OK Anti-Cockfighting
Ruling Upheld
6. Morbidities/Mortalities; Global Outlook
7. Killing Concerns
8. Large-Scale Testing; New Regulations
1. MANDATED SLAUGHTER OF 19 MILLION BIRDS IN CANADA
On April 5th, Canada's Agriculture minister ordered some 19 million birds
killed in an effort to control the now-epidemic avian influenza (A.I.) found
in British Columbia (B.C.) on February 18th {1}. The virus has infected 25
commercial flocks and 10 "backyard" flocks within the Fraser Valley
control area (about 1500 square miles) {10}. All commercial and
"backyard" flocks of chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and pigeons in
Fraser Valley are to be killed, amounting to 80% of the province's $1 billion
industry. {1} B.C. produces 15% of Canada's chickens {2}, and about 80% of
B.C. poultry operations are in or near the Fraser Valley area {11}. About
three-quarters of the birds are expected to test negative for the virus. Those
who do can continue through the production cycle to be slaughtered and
processed for use as human food. {10}
2. DEPOPULATION RATIONALE AND RESISTANCE
The depopulation is expected to take 6-8 weeks {1}. After the virus jumped
from 5 to 18 operations in a week {5} (from 8 to 18 within a day {7}),
industry proposed the plan {5} but, claiming it will cost hundreds of millions
of dollars {4}, said it would only support it if it included compensation from
the government {5}. Producers are to be compensated, and processors and others
might be, also {1, 5}. The local industry wanted only infected birds killed
but Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC:
http://www.chicken.ca
), the national organization, advocated the region be totally
depopulated on the grounds that it would enable quicker recovery and
resumption of exports {7}.
Canada and the U.S., which has also had recent A.I. outbreaks (see section
#4), together accounted for 50% of global chicken meat exports. They are both
now experiencing poultry export bans by many countries. Both are also subject
to wide-scale beef bans due to "mad cow" disease (see
http://tinyurl.com/3ce84
). Together they accounted for more than a quarter of global beef exports.
{31} The A.I. outbreaks also affect the grain trade, with chickens consuming
16% of the world's coarse grains (mostly corn), 26% of its oilmeals (mostly
soy), and 6% of its wheat. This and more information can be found in:
"Economic Consequences of Meat, Poultry Diseases" at:
http://tinyurl.com/2b7sp
)*
Companion birds are exempt from the kill order, but their definition is
limited to certain types of birds who are kept indoors. Some people with
companion and/or exotic birds are contesting the order {12, 13}. Exotic birds
were spared from an A.I. control program in the Netherlands last year in which
30 million chickens were killed (see item #2 of:
http://tinyurl.com/ys2wa
) {12}.
3. BLAME
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has accused wild waterfowl of being
the most likely source of the disease {14, 15, 16}. A Vancouver Sun editorial
called for testing of wild birds, noting that "farmers would be more
vigilant in keeping their farms clear of wild birds" if they were known
to be the flu source {15}. Others, such as Alberta Chicken Producers, point to
free-range operations {14}. Initially, however, free-range operations weren't
affected but instead large "broiler-breeder"operations were {17},
notes Ron Lewis, B.C.'s chief veterinarian.
While up to 50% of ducks are reported to be carriers (infected but
asymptomatic) of the virus {17}, viruses in wild birds generally aren't very
dangerous, says U. of Ottawa virologist Earl Brown. "It is high-density
chicken farming that gives rise to high-virulent influence viruses,"
Brown explains, "If you get a virus into a high-density poultry operation
and give it a period of time, generally a year or so, then you turn that virus
into a highly virulent virus. That's what always happens." {18} The
Canadian virus was of low pathogenicity when the first farm was infected but
within two weeks it mutated into a highly pathogenic form {8, 3}. (The only
known instance of a high-virulence avian flu occurring outside of poultry
production was in South Africa in 1961 among terns, who may have been infected
by domestic poultry {18}.)
CFC disputes high-density operations being a factor, arguing: "The fact
is that once the virus is out there its out there. It doesn't matter if you
have 10 chickens on an organic hobby farm or 10,000 in a chicken barn, that
virus is going to spread." The organization denies that chickens are
overcrowded, pointing to the Canadian code for animal care. A Vancouver Humane
Society (VHS) spokesperson dismisses the code as being unenforceable, noting
that many farmers haven't even read it. According to Canadian Organic Growers,
the high-density factor is exacerbated by the nearly identical genetic makeup
of chickens in these operations. {18} These points are elaborated in an April
13th Toronto Star op-ed by VHS's Bruce Passmore, who is also a member of the
Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals. Passmore discusses natural immunity in
wildlife, and the vulnerability of intensively produced birds due to their
genetic similarity and the conditions to which they are subjected. He calls
for welfare conditions to be included in a CFIA investigation into the cause
and spread of the disease {19}. A March 15th Washington Post editorial
similarly states: "Both the crowded conditions of poultry farms in [the
U.S.], and the close proximity of poultry, livestock and humans in Asia, have
also multiplied the chances that a new virus will emerge"{20}. (A March
13th Los Angeles Times editorial entitled "More Than a Mad Cow,"
makes a similar point about cattle confinement and BSE.)
4. U.S. OUTBREAKS
Poultry operation in the U.S. have also recently succumbed to outbreaks of
avian influenza (see item #9 of:
http://tinyurl.com/ys2wa
), including a highly lethal H5N2 strain that led to the gassing of a
6,600-bird flock in Texas in February {21}. The operation raised birds for
live markets in Houston {22}. Live markets are considered breeding grounds for
disease {23}. In the northeast U.S., 57% of live markets were found to be
contaminated by a mild strain of A.I. {24}. Between New Jersey and New York,
there are about 120 of them selling some half-million birds a week {26}. Live
markets were implicated for recent outbreaks in Delaware, New Jersey, and a
500,000-bird egg-industry flock in Pennsylvania {21, 23}. The Delaware
outbreaks started in February with an operation with 12,000 chickens {23} that
sold to live markets in New York City {24}. A second operation raised birds
for Perdue. The two cases resulted in 86,000 birds being killed {25}. In
March, 368,000 chickens from three Maryland operations (all owned by one
person ) were killed due to an A.I. outbreak {27}.
"We didn't last long in Charlie's dimly lit chicken house: The word
stench doesn't come close to describing the overpowering blast of dusty
ammonia that seeps into eyes, throat and lungs. Within a few minutes, no more
than 10, Charlie turned to us with his shirt over his mouth to mumble,
‘Guys, I can't take it anymore.' As the door closed behind us, I realized
that these chickens had spent the last eight weeks - essentially, their
lifetimes - in a squalor we couldn't stand for 15 minutes. Yet we're surprised
when disease breaks out." Journalist Ryan Grim relates his firsthand
experience in the Maryland poultry industry in a Bay Weekly article entitled
"Big Chicken Gets the Flu," while discussing environmental, economic
and political factors contributing to the disease. "When you have an
enormous number of birds in disgusting conditions, you're setting yourself up
for some really horrible things," says Robert Sprinkle, a physician and
associate professor of public policy at the University of Maryland School of
Public Affairs, "‘You can really get creamed." {27} The Delmarva
Poultry Industry responds to Grim's lengthy article point by point at:
http://tinyurl.com/27b5g
Some of Grim's points are corroborated by a March 14th Washington Times
article entitled "Poultry Problems." It offers historical background
on the Delmarva (Delaware/Maryland/Virginia) poultry industry and tells of
changes it's undergone. For example, newer buildings, housing 100,000 birds,
"are pitch-black inside to prevent chickens from running around and
losing weight, which necessitates more grain to feed them." {28}
5. CHICKEN LOBBY BACKS ANTI-COCKFIGHTING BILLS; OK ANTI-COCKFIGHTING
RULING UPHELD
The National Chicken Council (NCC), the main lobbying agent of the poultry
industry, has urged the chairman of the House Agriculture Committee to support
federal legislation against cockfighting. NCC voiced its support on both
humane grounds and for disease control. (Roosters used for fighting were
implicated in major exotic Newcastle disease outbreaks the last 2 years in
California, see #4:
http://tinyurl.com/yrkoo
) "Healthcare in the game-bird world is obviously
rudimentary," wrote NCC. H.R.1532 and S. 736, the Animal Fighting
Prohibition Enforcement Act, seeks to amend the federal Animal Welfare Act by
increasing animal-fighting penalties. Interstate sale or transfer of
cockfighting paraphernalia would also be banned. The United Gamefowl Breeders
Association rebuked NCC for siding with animal-rights advocates, and accused
the poultry industry of spreading disease by transporting chickens in
open-sided vehicles. {29} An extensive article on the connections between A.I.,
cockfighting and wildlife, with a primary focus on the Asian situation, can be
found at:
http://tinyurl.com/234bl
On a related note, Oklahoma's supreme court on March 30th upheld the
constitutionality of a cockfighting ban voters had approved two years earlier
(see #4:
http://tinyurl.com/36ce6 ).
Through legal maneuvers, cockfighting proponents had suspended enforcement of
the ban in about two dozen counties. In its recent ruling the court stated,
"At a minimum, the act serves the significant and legitimate public
purpose of preventing cruelty to animals and prohibiting human involvement in
bird fighting, obviously out of compassion for avian creatures." {30}
6. MORBIDITIES/MORTALITIES; GLOBAL OUTLOOK
Two people have been confirmed to have contracted H7N3, the relatively mild
strain of influenza virus which is circulating in Canada {3}. Another ten
people are suspected of having been infected. {6} The strain of avian
influenza circulating in Asia, the virulent H5N1, has infected hundreds of
people, with 32 laboratory-confirmed cases, 22 human deaths, and a mortality
rate among documented cases of 70-80% {6,9}. More than 100 million domestic
birds have been killed in Asia in an attempt to control the disease {9}.
(Up-to-date avian influenza news by country can be found at:
http://tinyurl.com/2hg24
An in-depth article about the situation in Asia, which calls it the
"worst ever factory farm disaster," can be found in the March issue
of Animal People:
http://tinyurl.com/3f8js
). "Given how far H5N1 avian influenza has spread, the world will be on
the verge of a pandemic for at least a year, more likely two years," said
Dr. Klaus Stoehr, Global Influenza Program director at the World Health
Organization. {6}
7. KILLING CONCERNS
The Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals ( CCFA:
http://www.humanefood.ca
) issued a press release expressing concern over the use of carbon dioxide to
kill chickens, noting that the process used to gas 16,000 chickens in March
reportedly took several hours and can cause aversive reactions in birds. CCFA
recommends the use of different types of gas, and monitoring by the SPCA. {32}
The March issue of Animal People contains an article about the ways sick and
unwanted chickens are killed in the U.S.:
http://tinyurl.com/3xg8e
They include gassing, maceration, and live burial. (The same issue also
includes an article on killing methods employed in Asia:
http://tinyurl.com/3f8js
) Farm Sanctuary and United Poultry Concerns are targeting the American
Veterinary Medical Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture with
campaigns against inhumane killing methods {33, 34}.
"Putting the birds down is the easy part. Dealing with the birds after
it, that's the big issue," said B.C. Agriculture Minister John Van Dongen.
"We don't have enough capacity at the present time to deal with the birds
that have been put down," he said. {35} About a half-million of the 19
million birds to be killed have been killed {10}. They are to be incinerated
or landfilled {36}, methods that some Canadian citizens are actively
protesting {37}. (See also:
http://tinyurl.com/2rywb
)
8. LARGE-SCALE TESTING; NEW REGULATIONS
In March, U.S. government and industry officials announced a new A.I. testing
plan. The $12.5 million voluntary program will expand testing to include
commercial chicken flocks raised for meat or eggs, and turkeys. (Testing had
primarily been conducted on birds to be exported for breeding use.) The
program will focus on the worst strains of the most common, low pathogen A.I.
It is to be administered by states, and those that experience an outbreak
could receive federal aid. (Currently, the USDA only provides aid if a high
pathogen variety of A.I. is found.) {38} Additionally, Delaware and Texas have
announced new regulations requiring parties keeping or selling poultry to
register with the state {25, 39}. Delaware is also instituting
sanitation and other requirements for live markets. A hearing on the Delaware
proposal is scheduled for May 7th. {39}
*Thanks to Ritchie Laymon for bringing this article to our attention.
REFERENCES
1. "Mass Slaughter of B.C. Fowl Ordered," The Globe and Mail,
Luma Muhtadie, April 5, 2004.
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040405.wavia_20405/BNStory/National/
2. "Bird Flu: 35 Flocks Infected in British Columbia, Officials Say
Tally Could Rise," Meating Place, Ann Bagel, April 14, 2004.
http://www.meatingplace.com/DailyNews/pop.asp?ID=12191
3. "Chicken Slaughter Raises Consumer Questions," CBC, April
7, 2004.
http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=bc_cull20040406
4. "Twenty-Five Farms Infected With Bird Flu in B.C.," The
Associated Press, April 13, 2004.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2001901914_avianflu.html
5. "B.C. Bird Virus Leaps to 13 More Farms; Bigger Cull
Considered," The Globe and Mail/Vancouver Sun/Calgary Herald (AnimalNet),
April 3, 2004.
http://131.104.232.9/animalnet/2004/4-2003/animalnet_april_3.htm#story0
6. "Kill All Birds Right Now, Says Farmers' Association," The
Vancouver Sun, Petti Fong, April 5, 2004.
http://www.islandveg.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=195
7. "Poultry Industry Supports New Stringent Measures to Combat
Avian Influenza," joint B.C. poultry industry press release (AnimalNet),
April 5, 2004.
http://131.104.232.9/animalnet/2004/4-2003/animalnet_april_5-2.htm#story3
8. "Trade Losses From Animal Diseases Projected to Be in
Billions," The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association,
April 15, 2004.
http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/apr04/040415f.asp
9. "Owners Battle to Safeguard Exotic Birds From B.C. Cull,"
The Globe and Mail, Mark Hume, April 10, 2004.
http://tinyurl.com/3ccjr or
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040410/BIRDS10/National/Idx
10. "B.C. Couple Cry Foul Over Chicken Cull," The Globe and
Mail, Mark Hume, March 26, 2004.
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040326.wchic0326/BNStory/Front/
11. "Kill All Birds Right Now, Says Farmers' Association," The
Vancouver Sun/CP/ Calgary Herald/ Edmonton Journal (AnimalNet), April 5, 2004.
http://131.104.232.9/animalnet/2004/4-2003/animalnet_april_5.htm#story0
12. "The Missing Precaution in The Avian Flu Outbreak,"
Vancouver Sun (AnimalNet), March 31, 2004.
http://131.104.232.9/animalnet/2004/3-2004/animalnet_march_31.htm#story4
13. "Speller Soars in Crisis Control," The Globe and Mail,
Heather Scofield, April 12, 2004.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040412/SPELLER12/TPNational/TopStories
14. "Scientist Probe Mystery Surrounding Avian Flu," CBC,
March 26, 2004.
http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/View?filename=mar26avianmystery226032004
15. "Avian Flu Outbreak Raises Concerns About Factory Farms,"
Canadian Press, Dennis Bueckert, April 7, 2004.
http://www.cp.org/english/online/full/agriculture/040407/a040730A.html
16. "Canada to Cull 19 Mln Birds in Bird Flu Outbreak,"
Reuters, Gilbert Le Gras, April 5, 2004.
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=4753815§ion=news
17. "Bird Flu Prompts Mass Cull in Canada," New Scientist,
Shaoni Bhattacharya, April 6, 2004.
http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994860
18. "Big Poultry at Risk Over Avian Flu?" The Toronto Star,
Bruce Passmore, April 13, 2004.
http://tinyurl.com/yvdvt or
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&call_pageid=971358637177&c=Article&cid=1081807811471
19. "Chicken Flu," The Washington Post, March 15, 2004.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A58871-2004Mar14.html
20. "Deadly Strain of Avian Flu in Texas," The Journal of the
American Veterinary Medical Association, April 1, 2004.
http://www.avma.org/onlnews/javma/apr04/040401c.asp
21. "Rundown, Remote Chicken Farm Blamed For Texas Bird Flu,"
Reuters, Jeff Franks, February 23, 2004.
http://www.forbes.com/markets/commodities/newswire/2004/02/23/rtr1272662.html
22. "Bird Flu Outbreak Has Farmers Jittery," The New York
Times, James Dao, Feb.16, 2004.
http://131.104.232.9/animalnet/2004/2-2004/animalnet_feb_16.htm#story0
23. "Bird-Flu Stir Flurry of Precautions in U.S." The Denver
Post, Diedtra Henderson, February 15, 2004.
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~33~1957166,00.html#
24. "DPI Works on Live Bird Market Issues." Delmarva Poultry
Industry, March 12, 2004.
http://www.dpichicken.org/index.cfm?content=news&subcontent=details&id=171
25. "State Proposes Rule For Poultry: Aimed at Preventing Avian
Flu," Newszap, Joe Rogalsky, April 8, 2004.
http://www.newszap.com/articles/2004/04/08/dm/sussex_county/post04.txt
26. "Big Chicken Gets The Flu," Bay Weekly, Ryan Grim, March
25-31, 2004.
http://www.bayweekly.com/year04/issuexii13/leadxii13.html
Thanks to Paul Shapiro for alerting us to this article.
27. "Poultry Problems," The Washington Times, Marguerite
Higgins, March 14, 2004.
http://www.washtimes.com/specialreport/20040313-103736-3984r.htm
28. "Chicken Lobby: Curb Cockfights," The Hill, Josephine
Hearn, April 7, 2004.
http://www.hillnews.com/business/040704_chicken.aspx
Thanks to Michael Markarian for alerting us to this article.
29. "Oklahoma's Supreme Court Says Anti-Cockfighting Law Is
Valid," The Associated Press, Ron Jenkins, March 30, 2004.
30. "A Flu Threat Harder to Stop Than SARS," The International
Herald Tribune, Robert Bonte-Friedheim & Dr. Karl Ekdahl, April 12, 2004.
http://www.iht.com/articles/514285.html
31. "Avian Influenza Outbreaks Create Concern About Human Infection
Mayo Clinic Researchers Warn," Mayo Clinic, April 13, 2004.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/news2004-rst/2205.html
32. "CO2 Cruel, Says One Animal Rights Group," News 1130, Niki
Upton, April 8, 2004.
http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ar-news/Week-of-Mon-20040405/023531.html
http://www.news1130.com/news/local/article.jsp?content=20040408_154712_4952
33. "USDA and AVMA Urged to Stop Cruel Killing Practices,"
Farm Sanctuary's E-News & Action Alert, April 1, 2004.
http://www.farmsanctuary.org/campaign/avma_letternew.htm
&
http://www.farmsanctuary.org/campaign/usda_letter.htm
34. "The Wood-Chipper Episode and Avian Flu Epidemics: What's the
Connection?" Spring/Summer 2004 Poultry Press.
http://www.upc-online.org/spring04/woodchipper.htm
35. "Emergency Declared over Dead Fowl," Canadian Press, April
11, 2004.
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040411.wavian0411/BNStory/Front/
36. "Protesters Block Landfill Entrance as Shipping of Avian Flu
Carcasses Begins," Canadian Press, April 13, 2004.
http://www.canada.com/vancouver/theprovince/news/story.html?id=c2f6ae03-6f49-41e5-a250-a228759d7776
37. "B.C. Bird-Disposal Plan under Fire," The Globe and Mail,
Mark Hume, April 14, 2004.
http://tinyurl.com/29jzp http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040414/CACHE14/National/Idx
38. "New Program Will Expand Testing for Avian Influenza," The
Associated Press, (Poultry Times, March 29, 2004).
http://www.poultryandeggnews.com/poultrytimes/news/March2004/161714.html
39. "Texas' Fowl Registration Set to Fly," Texas Animal Health
Commission, April 13, 2004.
