North Caolina has a Plan...

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   DURHAM -- While medical professionals test vaccines to combat the avian flu virus in humans, agriculture officials are also preparing for the possibility of a bird flu outbreak in America's poultry. 
Though avian influenza H5N1 has not yet been found in the U.S., the virus could still pose a threat to North Carolina's poultry industry. The greatest risk is posed by migrating birds infected with the disease, travelers who have visited poultry farms in Asia and the illegal shipment of infected fowl to the country. 
In response to the threat, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has created a bird flu response plan. The plan involves quarantining farms containing infected flocks, "humanely euthanizing" affected flocks, and restricting traffic in and out of the affected area, according to Brian Long, director of public affairs. 
"The more quickly you can do all that, the better off you are in controlling the disease," he said. 
If the bird flu reaches America -- and to North Carolina in particular -- it would be a big hit to the poultry industry. About 5,000 poultry farms do business in North Carolina, producing a more than $2 billion state poultry industry. 
According to Long, the state is second in the country in terms of number of turkeys raised, and fourth for the number of chickens raised for human consumption. North Carolina is also one of the top 10 states for egg production. 
"Obviously we're very concerned about the impact [the bird flu] could have on the industry and trade in North Carolina," said Long. 
"It's not just about the individual flock, though," Long said. "It would be a ripple effect and would impact the exporting of poultry to other countries too," he added, citing how the mad cow disease epidemic hurt America's beef trade with Japan. 
Long said the state Department of Agriculture's veterinary division will blood-test a representative sample of about 200,000 birds for avian influenza and other contagious bird diseases this year. "We're doing a lot of preventative work," said Long. "You don't assume it could never happen here. That would be unwise." 
Individual farms are also preparing to deal with a potential outbreak in their poultry. Many are blood-testing a small, representative sample from each flock before they send them to the plant, said Daniel Campeau, a specialized poultry agent with the Chatham County Cooperative Extension. The state poultry industry has volunteered to pay for these tests. 
"Companies are being very proactive about factory testing and have become more vigilant about people coming on their farms," Campeau said. 

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Trident/Delta Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Valued Member Joined: March 15 2006 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 344	Post Options Post Reply Quote Trident/Delta Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: North Caolina has a Plan... Posted: April 05 2006 at 10:10pm
	DURHAM -- While medical professionals test vaccines to combat the avian flu virus in humans, agriculture officials are also preparing for the possibility of a bird flu outbreak in America's poultry. Though avian influenza H5N1 has not yet been found in the U.S., the virus could still pose a threat to North Carolina's poultry industry. The greatest risk is posed by migrating birds infected with the disease, travelers who have visited poultry farms in Asia and the illegal shipment of infected fowl to the country. In response to the threat, the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has created a bird flu response plan. The plan involves quarantining farms containing infected flocks, "humanely euthanizing" affected flocks, and restricting traffic in and out of the affected area, according to Brian Long, director of public affairs. "The more quickly you can do all that, the better off you are in controlling the disease," he said. If the bird flu reaches America -- and to North Carolina in particular -- it would be a big hit to the poultry industry. About 5,000 poultry farms do business in North Carolina, producing a more than $2 billion state poultry industry. According to Long, the state is second in the country in terms of number of turkeys raised, and fourth for the number of chickens raised for human consumption. North Carolina is also one of the top 10 states for egg production. "Obviously we're very concerned about the impact [the bird flu] could have on the industry and trade in North Carolina," said Long. "It's not just about the individual flock, though," Long said. "It would be a ripple effect and would impact the exporting of poultry to other countries too," he added, citing how the mad cow disease epidemic hurt America's beef trade with Japan. Long said the state Department of Agriculture's veterinary division will blood-test a representative sample of about 200,000 birds for avian influenza and other contagious bird diseases this year. "We're doing a lot of preventative work," said Long. "You don't assume it could never happen here. That would be unwise." Individual farms are also preparing to deal with a potential outbreak in their poultry. Many are blood-testing a small, representative sample from each flock before they send them to the plant, said Daniel Campeau, a specialized poultry agent with the Chatham County Cooperative Extension. The state poultry industry has volunteered to pay for these tests. "Companies are being very proactive about factory testing and have become more vigilant about people coming on their farms," Campeau said.