Poultry producers focusing on innovation to protect from avian flu
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The director of the Animal Programs Division of the Indiana State Board of Animal Health says poultry producers across the state are looking at innovative ways to protect their flocks from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.
Since January, nearly 30 cases of avian flu have been confirmed at commercial and non-commercial poultry operations in more than a dozen Indiana counties, affecting millions of birds.
The last case was reported in late March and since that time, many of the affected operations have been approved to restock their bird populations.
Speaking on the Agbioscience podcast with AgriNovus Indiana CEO Mitch Frazier, Dr. Kelli Werling said producers are putting biosecurity at the forefront, and many are getting creative.
“Some of our producers are actually using agricultural-grade drones to spray disinfectant on the roofs of their barns because they’re concerned about those wild birds migrating and spreading virus through the environment,” Werling said. “So it’s simple things like that that you don’t always think of. It’s not necessarily that it’s an innovative product, but it’s two things that already exist.”
Werling said every operation is different, and it takes a strategic assessment of on-site biosecurity in order to properly address avian flu concerns. She said many producers are coming to the Board of Animal Health with ideas and looking for guidance.
“They often come to us and say, ‘Hey, I’ve got this idea. Do you think this would work? From a biosecurity standpoint, is it worth the effort? What is the trade off and that value proposition going to be if I implement this new, unique way of implementing my biosecurity? Is it going to get us the result that we want? And does it make sense, or is it just kind of an off the wall idea?'” she said. “So we’re really fortunate we have the opportunity to talk with producers when they come to us with those types of innovative ideas and creative thinking that we don’t always think of.”
The board is also looking at other tools such as pharmaceuticals to address avian flu. Werling said there is a lot of research done related to vaccines not just for poultry but dairy cattle, which are also being affected by the virus.
“There’s a lot of research happening related to avian influenza right now,” she said. “There’s been a lot of information come out of that research, and then there’s certainly more for us to learn as they continue on down that path. But I think that at some point we’ll be able to see what some of that research is and how we can actually apply it in that biosecurity space.”
She noted that the impact of the avian flu takes an emotional toll on producers, especially if they have to depopulate an entire flock even if only a small portion of their operation was confirmed to have the virus.
The Board of Animal Health is providing mental health resources to producers, Werling said, and the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine also has a veterinary social worker that is available to help producers deal with the emotions that come with the situation.
“Just those types of things to kind of also remember that we are all human,” she said. “And this can be pretty impactful on the mental health side as well as on people’s economic and physical health, because all of those things are certainly connected.”
Looking ahead, Werling said animal health officials in Indiana and across the country are going to take a critical look at what their response activities have been and try and find unique and creative ways to rethink and improve upon those efforts.
You can watch the full podcast with Werling in the video below: