With 100 million birds dead, the poultry industry could serve as an example as dairy farmers face bird flu

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As the U.S. dairy industry faces an outbreak of bird flu, with cases reported on dozens of farms and the disease spreading to humans, the egg industry could serve example of how to slow the disease, but also shows how difficult it can be to eradicate the virus.

There have been previous bird flu outbreaks in the United States, but the current outbreak began in February 2022 and forced the culling of nearly 100 million chickens and turkeys. Hot spots still exist, but their frequency has declined in part thanks to biosecurity efforts on farms and a coordinated approach between businesses and agricultural officials, experts say.

Dairy farmers could try to implement similar protective measures, but the vast differences between animals and industries limit the lessons that can be learned and applied.

How can a 1,500 pound cow and a 5 pound chicken suffer from the same disease?

It is commonly called avian flu because the disease is spread largely by wild birds which can survive infections. Many mammals have also caught the disease, including sea lions and skunks.

Animals can become infected by eating an infected bird or by being exposed to environments where the virus is present. That said, there are big differences in how cows and chickens behave after being infected.

Avian flu is usually fatal to chickens and turkeys within days of infection, immediately leading to mass killings of birds. This is not true for cows.

Dairies in several states have reported having to kill infected animals because symptoms persisted and their milk production had not recovered, but that is not the norm, said Russ Daly, extension veterinarian at the South Dakota State University.

He said it appears bird flu is not usually fatal to cows, but an infected animal may be more susceptible to other diseases typically found in dairies, such as pneumonia. bacterial and udder infections.

What has the egg industry done to protect chickens?

Egg operators have become neat freaks.

To prevent the spread of disease, egg producers require workers to shower and change into clean clothing before entering a chicken coop and to shower again when leaving. They also wash trucks frequently and spray tires with solutions to remove leftover viruses.

Many egg farms even use lasers and install special fences to discourage wild birds from stopping by for a visit.

“The time of the scarecrow is over,” said Emily Metz, president of the American Egg Board.

Without these efforts, the current outbreak would be much worse, said Jada Thompson, a professor of agricultural business at the University of Arkansas. Yet maintaining such vigilance is difficult, even if the cost of allowing disease into an operation is so high, she said.

Chickens raised for meat, called broilers, have also been infected with bird flu, but these cases are less common. This is partly because broilers are killed when they are only 6 to 8 weeks old, so they have less time to become infected.

Can we do the same thing to protect cows and dairy workers?

Yes and no.

Dairies can certainly reduce the spread of disease by limiting access to barns, so people and equipment don’t introduce the virus from elsewhere. Workers may also wear safety glasses, aprons and gloves to try to protect themselves, but there’s no way around this problem: large animals are messy.

“The milking parlor is a hot, humid place with a lot of fluids, whether it’s urine, feces or water, as it gets sprayed on certain areas. Cows can trigger a milk machine and cause milk to splash,” said Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Laboratory.

Dairies also don’t have the time or staff to disinfect milking equipment between animals, risking contamination. Pasteurization kills bacteria and viruses in milk, making it safe for people to drink.

Poulsen said the dairy industry could follow the path set by the poultry and pork industries and create more formal, better-funded research organizations so it could respond more quickly to problems like bird flu – or avoid them completely.

The dairy industry could also curb the spread of disease by limiting the movement of lactating cows between states, Poulsen said.

Are there new efforts to combat the virus?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will soon begin testing a vaccine that could be given to calves, providing protection to the animals and also reducing the risk of worker illness.

The egg industry also hopes that researchers can develop poultry vaccines that could be quick, inexpensive and effective. Workers can’t vaccinate the millions of chickens that might need a shot, but industry officials hope a vaccine can be distributed in the water the birds drink, in the pellets they eat or even before the birds hatch from their eggs.

Efforts to develop vaccines have become even more important now that the disease has spread to dairy cows and even a few people, Thompson said.

“Part of what’s being developed right now is: How can we vaccinate them in a cost-effective, disease-resistant way? » said Thompson.