Menu

If avian influenza was suspected in a commercial poultry flock, hundreds of thousands of birds may have to be euthanized.

While plans are in place to prevent this situation, the agriculture industry has prepared for the worst.

Mo Saif, a poultry disease specialist with Ohio State University, said if a high-pathogenic strain of avian influenza were detected, the flock would be killed immediately. Saif said a fire-fighting foam is the latest tool being used to euthanize large numbers of birds.

"Usually that is very effective and it's gaining approval" as a humane form of euthanization, he said.

David Glauer, Ohio's state veterinarian, said the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) is considering several forms of euthanization, but "this will still be carried out in a very humane manner."

Birds would also need to be disposed of in a way that minimizes biosecurity risks.

Glauer said rendering is not an ideal solution because the infected birds would have to be transported to rendering plants. He said ODA has already contacted the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency about burying birds in landfills. Burying could also take place on-site, eliminating the need to move the birds.

Composting the animals is also a favorable option because viruses are killed as the material reaches high temperatures for an extended period of time.

"Once it's composted it could be spread on the land safely," Saif said.

In addition to depopulating infected flocks, other poultry farms in the area would be put under quarantine.

"Hopefully this would contain the disease," Saif said.

During this time consumers could see shortages in poultry products if food retailers relied heavily on a quarantined area for their supply.

"It's not going to be that you can't conduct commerce, but there's going to be some early restrictions," Glauer said.

Poultry producers would receive full indemnity if their birds or products would have to be destroyed upon the confirmation of a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza. However, poultry and poultry products might be destroyed based on a presumptive positive or confirmation of a low-pathogenic strain. In this scenario, producers would receive 50 percent indemnity.

OFBF has submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service encouraging it to consider paying 100 percent value if property is destroyed based upon a presumptive positive and it turns out to be a low-pathogenic strain of the virus.

"Only paying 50 percent should the government order the destruction of private property based upon its assumptions or presumptions is unacceptable," said David White, OFBF director of commodity relations.