Hot News

4.25.2006

By STEPHANIE JORDAN

GEORGETOWN, Del. — Various members of the poultry industry met with Congressman Mike Castle, R-Del., last Tuesday to talk about avian influenza and what the Delmarva Peninsula is doing to prepare for an outbreak.
Officials from the Maryland, Delaware and Virginia Departments of Agriculture, as well as from the University of Delaware and the Delmarva Poultry Industry sat down with the congressman to address what they thought were issues that need to be addressed to ensure the peninsula’s readiness.
Of great concern was the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s plan of what to do in case of an avian influenza outbreak.
Burial was recommended as the preferred method of disposal of depopulated flocks, but industry officials said there are better methods that are less hazardous to both humans and the environment, such as using fire fighting foam. The University of Delaware is working to get the foam approved as a valid depopulation tool.
Guy Hohenhaus, state veterinarian for the Maryland Department of Agriculture, said he was worried about having a flawed federal plan imposed on the industry in the case of an outbreak.
He also mentioned that many states don’t have the experience to deal with an outbreak, and if their only guide to deal with the strain is a flawed federal plan, Delmarva’s industry could be threatened.
Other industry officials cited concerns about the workers who will be needed to depopulate flocks and to prepare houses for decontamination. Many states don’t have enough workers to meet the possible demand.
“The federal government hasn’t adequately addressed the need for personnel,” said Delaware Secretary of Agriculture Michael Scuse. “Where are these workers going to come from?”
Bill Satterfield, executive director of the Delmarva Poultry Industry, Robin Morgan, dean of the college of agriculture and natural resources at the University of Delaware, and DPI President Roger Marino all spoke up about the media’s role in reporting on an outbreak.
“If you don’t get it right, you can destroy (the industry),” Marino said. “You can do the world a service by educating yourself about the industry.”
They also spoke about the drop in U.S. chicken consumption since the outbreaks began, and roundtable participants assured everyone that chicken is safe to eat.
Surveillance, particularly of backyard flocks, was an area of industry concern.
“The backyard surveillance is very important,” said Chris McNeill, veterinarian with the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Sciences. “The battleground area is going to be the backyard birds. The bigger strength we have is that we are looking for it.”
John Brooks, Maryland’s deputy secretary of agriculture, brought up the fact that many immigrants work in the industry, and not all of them are well versed in English. He said it is crucial that good biosecurity manuals are put together in as many languages as possible to breach that gap.
Although the peninsula still has work to do to make sure it is fully prepared, it already has come a long way, especially with the indemnification agreement that has been worked out between the states and the major poultry companies.
“Competitive companies come together in areas of mutual concern,” Hohenhaus said.
The agreement states that the company involved in the outbreak will absorb the first $100,000 in expenses. Those expenses include everything from depopulation to disposal to disinfecting the houses.
Once the company spends $100,000, it draws from the indemnity fund. The fund is worth $2.5 million, and all four of the major poultry companies have contributed to it. The amount of money each company puts in the fund is based on its percentage of poultry production on the Delmarva.
If the costs exceed $2.5 million, the states step in. If the outbreak occurs in Maryland, then Maryland will contribute up to $5 million; if it strikes Delaware, Delaware will cover up to $5 million.
The roundtable discussion served as a way for industry officials to communicate at the federal level about what needs to be done to fully address an outbreak.
“I want to make sure the federal role is well carried out,” Congressman Castle said. “You’ve renewed my faith in what we do on the Delmarva Peninsula. I thank you for an education.”