VERNON ACHENBACH JR.
Lancaster Fanning Staff
UNION DEPOSIT (Dauphin
Co.) The announcement this
week by the Pennsylvania Depart
ment of Agriculture of the resur
facing of avian influenza in Lan
caster County may well stimulate
some unfamiliar with state strategy
to call for increased regulations.
However, according to reports
given during the Pennsylvania
Avian Health Symposium, held
Jan. 29 at the Harrisburg Sheraton
East, the state doesn’t need statew
ide, specific regulations for biose
curity measures to combat diseases
such as avian influenza.
The main reason the rela
tively new state Domestic Animal
Law gives the state Department of
Agriculture additional authorities
so that it can, among other things,
create case-by-casc (farm-by
farm) rules of quarantine specific
to an operation and disease.
Were a set of regulations cover
ing biosecurity or quarantine to be
adopted, it is more likely that rapid
advancements in knowledge of
diseases, types of testing, and
changes in diseases, all would
Avian
Influenza
(Continued from Pago At)
The second farm is located well
south of the northern part of the
county where a large area had been
under general quarantine for six
months.
As was done with a previous
incident, the birds are not to be
immediately destroyed, but are to
be studied while under quarantine.
All of the other flocks testing
positive for the non-lethal (causes
Some death and sickness, but
doesn't wipe out a flock as the let
hal variety), were destroyed imme
diately, except for the last one
prim' to the discovery announced
this week.
Earlier this year, it was
explained by state officials that
delaying the destruction of the
birds was done because it was sus
pected that soon after discovering
the disease, the virus may be in a
more infectious stage.
It was considered that if the dis
ease is more infectious soon after
discovered, then bringing in addi
tional people and vehicles into a
farm for depopulation and disin
fection may increase the risk of
spreading the disease.
According to the PDA, in this
most recent spate of outbreaks,
there have been 20 flocks to date
that have been found to have been
infected with the H7N2 avian
influenza, affecting two million
birds.
Secretary Hayes said that the
most recent discoveries were due
to intensive testing and coopera
tive efforts between PDA and the
poultry industry.
Hayes also said that some of the
$S million authorized last year by
the Legislature and Gov.' Tom
Ridge as nonrcocclining support
for the industry to transition
through the avian influenza
emergency is still available.
BUILDINGIHE FUTURE
Statewide AI Biosecurity Regulations Not Needed
make the regulations outdated and
nonsensical, according to Dr.
Bruce Schmucker, an animal
health control expert with the
PDA.
The Pa. Avian Health Sympo
sium was held for several reasons,
not the least to fulfill a request
from the state Legislature for
information and recommendations
in dealing with avian influenza, as
well as other infectious poultry
diseases.
The state Legislature had
approved, and state Gov. Tom
Ridge this past year authorized, the
spending of up to $S million to
help poultry producers recoup
some losses resulting from the vol
untary and mandatory destruction
of poultry flocks found to test posi
tive for the H7N2 avian influenza;
to pay for the costs of bird destruc
tion, facilities disinfection and
cleaning; and to pay for research.
In order to comply with the
request from the Legislature for
information, the state Department
of Agriculture, under the oversight
of state Deputy Secretary of Agri
culture for Administration Zoann
Parker, formed five committees.
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Of the five committees, one
formed to research legal issues;
another focused on the live bird
market; another on insurance; one
on research; and one on risk
reduction.
The general consensus of the
symposium was that such a meet
ing representing the broad scope of
avian industry in Pennsylvania
was long overdue, and that all
components of the industry need to
be involved in battling contagious
disease.
The role of hobbyists, purebred
breeders, and those raising birds
specifically to serve the live bird
markets in preventing the spread of
avian influenza ex' other disease
was highlighted.
Rev. Roland Romig, represent
ing the entire spectrum of “back
yarders,” told the group about the
importance, permanence and
growth opporunties in the live bird
markets.
Live bird markets are cited as a
constant source of the avian
influenza, though not a cause.
That disease has turned up com-
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, March 7, 1998-A2l
monly in the New York/New
Jersey live bird markets, and in
some other live bird markets,
which has given the markets a
negative reputation.
However, according to Romig
and-others at the symposium, the
real problem seems to be a lack of
usable testing and health certifica
tion, as well as discovering a
method for weeding out the few
unethical or shoddy operations
supplying the markets.
In essence, Romig requested
that the rest of the industry recog
nize the importance of the live bird
market to its suppliers as well as
the state’s rural economy, and to
consider the fact that “backyarder”
flocks serve as a vast reserve of
poultry genetics, as compared to
the birds raised and bred by com
mercial and contract growers.
Of major concern to Romig
were the Jan. 2-effectivc New
York regulations imposing new
and extensive health certification
requirements for shipping live
birds to its markets.
However, Pennsylvania’s own
regulations or lack of them
were praised for the cooperation
fostered between industry and
state.
According Dwight-Jared Smith,
an attorney working for the state,
the state isn’t seeking any mote
regulation of the industry than it
has to have, and only a lack of
cooperation and trust would create
a demand for more intense
regulation.
Smith and Schmucker were two
of several speakers during the all
day symposium to discuss issues
of concern to the entire bird
raising community. Smith
explained the new and expanded
enforcement authority granted the
PDA under the 1996 Domestic
Animal Law.
Attorney Smith said that during
the previous (to this week) out
break of avian influenza, he had
some role in drafting specific quar
antine rules, although the need for
legal work in otherwise dealing
with the situation was nil, indicat
ing that govemment/industry
cooperation and stakeholder
involved problem solving can
result in mutually agreeable
results.
(Turn to Pag* A 23)