Rebuilding after avian influenza: the slowest case will see a full switch to non-open-air poultry housing within one year
Regarding measures to rebuild the industry after the avian influenza outbreak, Chang Shu-hsien, Director-General of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine of the Council of Agriculture, said today that with the goal of improving biosecurity on poultry farms, the Council of Agriculture will guide operators to convert to non-open-style poultry houses, so that poultry inside the houses do not come into contact with wild birds and migratory birds outside, and there must be shelter to keep the droppings of outside birds from falling into the poultry houses. In addition, poultry farms will be divided into three rings: the case farms, poultry farms within one kilometer of the case farms, and other poultry farms. The first two rings must improve poultry house biosecurity before September, while other poultry farms need to improve biosecurity within one year. If operators fail to implement this, they will be fined 30,000 to 150,000 under the Statute for Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Diseases.
Avian influenza outbreak still requires three consecutive months of monitoring; the alert has not yet been lifted
For the avian influenza outbreak, only 2 more farms were newly submitted for testing yesterday, and 1 was confirmed, bringing the total so far to 888 farms submitted for testing across 14 counties and cities, with 861 farms confirmed to have H5 subtype avian influenza. However, Chang Shu-hsien said it still cannot be said that the alert has been lifted, as sporadic cases are still occurring, indicating that latent virus remains in the environment. The Council of Agriculture will monitor and sample poultry farms within one kilometer of case farms once a month for three consecutive months, and only if no new cases occur will the outbreak be considered over.
Chang Shu-hsien said farmers still need to observe their flocks independently, and if abnormal conditions occur they should immediately report them to the local animal disease control authorities. "Do not use your own crude methods; this harms both others and yourself, and will also cause the disease to spread." If a floor-reared poultry farm has 4 deaths per 1,000 birds for two consecutive days, or a cage-reared poultry farm has 2 deaths per 1,000 birds for two consecutive days, it must be reported immediately.
Case farms and poultry farms within one kilometer around them must improve poultry house biosecurity within six months
For the future conditions for restocking or raising poultry again, the Council of Agriculture will proceed in three rings. Chang Shu-hsien said the first ring is the farms where avian influenza cases occurred. The farm must complete full-site disinfection, remain empty for 21 days, then sentinel poultry are introduced, and after another 21 days testing is carried out; only if no virus is detected may restocking take place. The second ring is poultry farms within one kilometer of the case farms. They do not need sentinel poultry, but they must likewise undergo complete disinfection before applying to raise poultry again or bring in new stock.
Chang Shu-hsien stressed that for case farms and poultry farms within one kilometer around them, the poultry houses must be converted to non-open-style or closed-style houses before restocking. Operators will currently be given a six-month buffer period, with the hope that poultry house renovation will be completed before migratory birds arrive in September; afterward, if the biosecurity requirements for poultry houses are not implemented, fines will be issued. The third ring is other poultry farms. When operators raise poultry again or bring in new stock, they must improve poultry house biosecurity and likewise convert to non-open-style poultry houses, but they will be given a one-year buffer period.
The Council of Agriculture will guide all poultry operators to convert at least to non-open-style poultry houses
Li Yi-chien, Section Chief of the Department of Animal Industry of the Council of Agriculture, said the definition of a non-open-style poultry house is very simple: first, poultry inside the house do not come into contact with outside birds; second, there must be a shelter similar to a roof so that the droppings of outside birds do not fall into the poultry house and cause infection. The Council of Agriculture only requires operators to meet these two basic conditions.
Li Yi-chien said there are many forms of non-open-style poultry houses, including the higher-cost closed negative-pressure exhaust-ventilation type, or the renovation of old poultry houses. In addition, poultry houses can also use a simple steel-frame structure, similar to putting up a tent, as long as the above two principles are met.
Beyond the biosecurity of the physical poultry house, Li Yi-chien stressed that operators' biosecurity concepts are also very important. The Council of Agriculture has formed a technical service team of 50 to 60 people, and this Saturday educational training will begin in Changhua. The course is arranged for six hours a day, explaining concepts such as disease prevention, biosecurity, and regulations, and also provides forms of livestock housing for restocking for farmers' reference.
Regarding participants in the educational training, Li Yi-chien said it is not limited to case farms; the target is all poultry operators. There will be many sessions in the future, with educational training sessions arranged according to the situation of cases occurring in each county and city.
Chang Shu-hsien stressed that the post-outbreak industry rebuilding after this wave of avian influenza requires bold destruction and bold construction, and only by raising the overall biosecurity level of the industry can the risk of avian influenza transmission be reduced. Case farms and poultry farms within one kilometer around them must improve poultry house biosecurity within six months, while other poultry farms need to implement it within one year. Those who violate this will not receive culling compensation if an outbreak occurs in the future, and will also be fined 30,000 to 150,000 under the Statute for Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Diseases. "We do not want the avian influenza outbreak to happen again; if this continues, the industry will have no tomorrow."