Tyrone countryside. Picture: Cliff Donaldson
Commodity watch by policy graduate student, Kayleigh Meek
As we approach the winter months, the changing weather and the prospect of livestock spending more time indoors, the worry about animal disease weighs on every farmer’s mind. With the increasing amount of news reports across the world seeming to announce a new disease outbreak every week, it can be hard to focus on what is most important for our own farms. In my current position covering both animal health and welfare and poultry, keeping an eye on Avian Influenza (AI) plays a big role. So far there have been no confirmed cases of AI for the 2024/2025 season, though as we know we are early in the season. This is now a key time for increased vigilance and ensuring that all defences are put in place.
The thought of AI within a commercial flock should send shivers down the spine of any poultry farmer. The losses are not limited to the value of the birds themselves. Following an outbreak, farmers will endure a lengthy loss of production time and income, whilst the infected birds are removed, and the disinfection process gets underway. This could extend beyond six months depending on the circumstances within the local area, and the specific production system. Zones around infected premises are immediately created and movements within these zones are limited to and from other poultry flocks.
As farmers, we cannot control wild bird movements and as such flock keepers must operate bio-secure, quarantine farms with strict protocols in place with reference to visitors and deliveries. Owners of backyard flocks should strive towards meeting the same bio secure arrangements. A backyard flock, if appropriately registered and housed should not pose any increased risk to the poultry industry. There are strict regulations regarding backyard flocks and their registration requirements. All keepers of birds (except keepers of pet birds kept in the owner’s home) are required to register with DAERA. The benefit of doing so is, that, in the event of a disease breakdown, DAERA have a record of the location of all birds and can provide appropriate guidance.
Sometimes, the word biosecurity can feel overused, however there is no better way to protect your poultry flock from an AI incursion than maintaining optimum biosecurity on your farm. All poultry keepers should refer to DAERA’s biosecurity self-assessment checklist to ensure they have the essential biosecurity measures in place and are maintaining them regularly. Whilst we are still free from incursion for the 2024/2025 period, this is a critical point to check all preparations. Let’s keep AI out of NI flocks this winter.
To view DAERA’s biosecurity checklist and guidance click here.
