RED DEER — Alberta poultry groups are offering a town hall meeting to discuss avian influenza on March 24.
Producers may join a telephone conference call from 10-11 a.m. to learn more about this highly infectious disease and prepare for the risk of increased infection during the spring migration of waterfowl.
The agenda includes:
• What are the differences between high and low pathogenic avian influenza?
•What is the current risk level for avian influenza in North America?
•What are the symptoms?
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•What do you do if you suspect the flock is sick?
To join the meeting, call toll free at 888-886-7786.
The disease is easily spread among birds, but the virus could travel on dust, manure, feathers and people with manure on their shoes, said poultry veterinarian Helen Wojcinski of the Hendrix Genetics Company.
Avian influenza was discovered on an Ontario farm last year, but the United States experienced an epidemic from December 2014 until June 2015 when 223 farms were infected in 15 states. About 10 million turkeys and 40 million laying chickens died.
This was the largest animal disease outbreak of any species in the U.S. The hardest hit state was Iowa where 26 percent of the laying hens were lost.
The disease cost more than US$3 billion, and 18 trading partners banned all poultry and poultry products from the U.S., said Wojcinski at the Western Poultry conference in Red Deer today.
Contact barbara.duckworth@producer.com
