News from the state Department of Agriculture and Markets:
State
Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball today announced new
regulations restricting the movement of poultry into the state
to prevent the
spread of strains of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in
poultry flocks in New York state.
The rapidly expanding viral outbreak
has already affected nearly 50 million birds in the Midwest and the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) has confirmed the current outbreak is the worst in U.S. history.
The new regulations require that all live poultry moved into New York must be:
- From a source flock in which 30 birds were tested for avian influenza within ten days prior to entry into New York State; or
- From a source flock that has been certified by the state of origin as an Avian Influenza Monitored Flock; or
- From a source flock certified as clean of HPAI under the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP).
All
hatching eggs and day-old chicks imported into New York must be from a
source flock certified as clean of HPAI under the NPIP.
“The
U.S. is in uncharted waters with this disease, and we need to exercise
every bit of caution to minimize the incidence of avian influenza in
our state’s poultry population,” Commissioner Ball said. “New York’s
poultry industry is an important part of the state’s agriculture economy
and this regulation will build on the proactive measures already
taken — from the ban of all fowl exhibits and competitions
at fairs to rigorous testing of birds moving into the marketing
system — to continue to safeguard our flocks.”
According
to the USDA, 10 percent of the egg-laying hens in the U.S. have already been
lost as well as over 6 percent of the nation's live turkey inventory. States
such as Iowa,
Minnesota, Wisconsin and Nebraska have sustained the greatest damage to
their poultry farms.
The virus has not been found in poultry flocks in New
York state or in neighboring states, though it has been found in two
flocks in the Canadian province of Ontario.
Agriculture
officials such as Department of Agriculture and Markets State
Veterinarian Dr. David Smith recognize the threat to farm livelihoods
posed by this disease. With a total domestic poultry population of about 7.5 million birds,
New York’s poultry industry generates roughly $150 million in sales
annually.
"HPAI
can wipe out an entire egg-laying flock in less than a week and we
still don't fully understand how it spread so quickly from farm to farm
in the Upper Midwest,”
Dr. Smith said. “While we hope hot, dry summer weather will slow down
the virus spread, that is by no means certain. We encourage everyone
who keeps poultry to be very careful about minimizing their birds'
exposure to avian influenza.”
The
Department today also released publications intended to raise awareness
about biosecurity measures and help poultry farms and visitors to
poultry
farms learn how to prevent the introduction and spread of HPAI. The
fact sheets (available at
http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/AI/bird_flu.html)
created by Dr. Smith and his staff provide information on best
practices farmers and visitors can use to avoid carrying the virus into
or out of farms.
Among the practices outlined in the fact sheets are tips for poultry farms:
**
Require all visitors to use covers on their footwear and to disinfect all footwear.
**
Lock all entrances to chicken houses after hours.
** Ask all visitors if they have had any contact with any kind of bird in the past five days.
**
Forbid from entry employees and visitors who own any kind of fowl.
** Discourage unnecessary visitors and use biosecurity signs to warn people not to enter buildings without permission.
Among the tips for visitors:
**
Never enter a farm without permission.
**
Wear clean clothes and shoes for any visit to a farm.
**
Stay in the parking lot on arrival and call for an escort onto the farm.
**
Do not touch animals unless it's part of your job.
**
Report anything unusual, especially sick or dead birds.
While
experts are concerned about the avian flu's impact on farms, they also emphasize
that the virus subtypes that are causing the current outbreak are not a
threat to the
public. Officials stress that chicken and eggs are safe to eat.
Avian
influenza outbreaks are not uncommon, but the current outbreak is
particularly deadly to birds.The outbreak is concentrated in two
strains
of influenza – H5N2 and H5N8. Influenza has been found in birds on more
than 210 farms in 15 states and in wild birds in five more states in
the West, Midwest and South, and two Canadian provinces.
In
addition to this new regulation and the recent ban of fowl exhibits at
the New York State Fair, all county fairs held in the state, and all
chartered
youth fairs, New York is taking a strongly proactive stance with
suppliers, distributors and live bird markets in attempting to prevent
the spread of avian influenza and prevent birds with influenza from
crossing into the state.
Bird flocks intended for the
live bird sales market must test negative for avian influenza before
they can move into the marketing system. Once birds are in the marketing
system, state officials verify test records and monitor sanitation
levels at the live bird markets.
In
addition, employees of the Department’s Division of Animal Industry
routinely test poultry in live bird markets for avian influenza. In
2014,
approximately 35,000 birds in the New York live bird marketing system
were tested for the disease. Any bird that tests positive is traced back
to its original flock to address possible infections.
An Avian Influenza Biosecurity Brochure is also available at
http://www.agriculture.ny.gov/HPAI_Brochure.pdf
and on the Department’s Facebook page.
For more information, please
visit the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets website
at
www.agriculture.ny.gov
