Indiana is now the 15th state to be affected by the avian bird flu and local commercial turkey processing facilities are taking the necessary precautions to make sure local birds are not affected.
There has now been a reported case in northeastern Indiana in Whitley County. What makes this virus even more worrisome for local farmers, researchers, and poultry companies, is not only the disease, but the type of strain that has been found in these turkeys, chickens, and other birds.
Locally, two big poultry productions companies that employ over thousands of residents from Daviess and surrounding counties, are taking the threat seriously.
Perdue Farms Inc. and Farbest Foods have both been hard at work to make sure bird flu does not affect area farms.
”What Perdue and Farbest have done is hold educational sessions with the producers about the influenza and what precautions to take. Producers and growers have been sent news briefs on elite bio security practices to protect their livelihood and the flock that are owned by integraters like Perdue and Farbest. Certain protocols include: restriction of any visitors to the farm or in the actual turkey barns, designated footwear and clothing, washing and disinfecting all equipment,” said Perdue’s Director of Live Production Tom Schaffer.
Farbest’s Ted Seger said, “Both companies (Perdue and Farbest) are doing about the same protocols and preparations for the avian influenza.”
Just like any influenza, the avian bird flu can be contained and it will eventually die off. The hope of these companies is that the threat will be reduced with hot weather, dry conditions, and natural sunlight. Ultra violet rays actually kill the disease.
Perdue and Farbest officials both anticipate that AI will die off before anything actually happens in our area.
Humans have little risk posed to them from this disease and it will not affect anyone by eating poultry or eggs.
This strain of H5N8 is different from the H5N2 strain that has been confirmed in scores of Midwestern farms and resulted in the death or culling of nearly 30 million birds so far. H5N8 has only been seen in the Pacific flyaway during the outbreak. This strain has only been confirmed in commercial chicken and turkey farms in California and a backyard poultry flock in Oregon, as well as Idaho and Washington. So the real question is, how did this disease move eastward?
“We’re working on the epidemiology, but the new finding of H5N8 is mostly likely due to a new introduction by waterfowl,” USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service spokeswoman Joelle Hayden said in a statement.
The flock that was found in Whitley County was a backyard flock that tested positive for AI. There are different strains, but they’re all still a type of AI and highly pathogenic. The birds were then euthanized, double bagged, and taken to Purdue University for research. The site in Whitley County is now quarantined for the time being, as well as a buffer zone around the area.
“Up to this point this has only been found in California, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. That makes this very unique, having jumped all the way from at least Idaho all the way to Indiana. So we don’t yet know. Work is being done to clarify that or find out as much as we can,” said Executive Vice President of the Indiana State Poultry Association Paul Brennan.
The U.S. poultry and egg industry has been struggling for months with the biggest outbreak on record of AI in the United States. The economic ripples are beginning to be felt. Baked good companies are feeling a squeeze on egg supplies and a food unit, from a poultry plant operation in Minnesota, has to lay off over 200 employees because the outbreak has made such limited turkey supplies.
Brennan said, “It’s not a public health issue, it’s a poultry issue.”
If the AI disease would spread in Indiana, some serious issues could arise for the community. With not enough turkeys for production, jobs would be in jeopardy.