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Official on avian flu outbreak: 'It's not if ... but when'
Posted: Tuesday, July 28, 2015 8:57 pm
By Richard M. Barron
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Ducks and geese will begin migrating south from Canada soon, and they could be carrying a strain of avian flu that could wipe out poultry farms along the East Coast.
North Carolina is among the top five turkey- and chicken-producing states with a $4 billion industry.
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State officials have asked poultry farmers ? even people who raise just a few chickens ? to register for an N.C. Farm ID number to track possible outbreaks and send information to producers.
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?It?s not if it?s going to hit us, but when,? said Jennifer Kendrick, a public information officer with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
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Kendrick of the N.C. Department of Agriculture said the birds have been in Canada for the summer and are likely to bring their disease down the Atlantic Flyway ? the path they use for migration ? as the weather cools.
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Thing is, it?s tough to predict where those birds will land, Kendrick said.
?We could end up with an outbreak that spreads ... from one end of the state to another,? she said.
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According to Kendrick, North Carolina is preparing to send rapid-response teams when the flu breaks out to help farmers deal with the nearly overwhelming task of euthanizing and disposing of their flocks.
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Posted: Tuesday, July 28, 2015 8:57 pm
By Richard M. Barron
...
Ducks and geese will begin migrating south from Canada soon, and they could be carrying a strain of avian flu that could wipe out poultry farms along the East Coast.
North Carolina is among the top five turkey- and chicken-producing states with a $4 billion industry.
...
State officials have asked poultry farmers ? even people who raise just a few chickens ? to register for an N.C. Farm ID number to track possible outbreaks and send information to producers.
...
?It?s not if it?s going to hit us, but when,? said Jennifer Kendrick, a public information officer with the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
...
Kendrick of the N.C. Department of Agriculture said the birds have been in Canada for the summer and are likely to bring their disease down the Atlantic Flyway ? the path they use for migration ? as the weather cools.
...
Thing is, it?s tough to predict where those birds will land, Kendrick said.
?We could end up with an outbreak that spreads ... from one end of the state to another,? she said.
...
According to Kendrick, North Carolina is preparing to send rapid-response teams when the flu breaks out to help farmers deal with the nearly overwhelming task of euthanizing and disposing of their flocks.
...
