HEAL ▶▶▶TH
Birds that tested positive for the low pathogenic H3N1 virus are unable to pro- duce saleable eggs after recov- ery.
PHOTO: PENN COMMUNICATIE
This is something which has been discussed for years. I actu- ally think it’s a shame they don’t seem to realise what the consequences of this policy have been.” De Gussem argues for mass eradication at an early stage and rapid detection using the latest techniques. He warned that large-scale culling is no longer accepted by society. De Gus-
sem is surprised that bird flu is still being diagnosed on the basis of serological tests. “That approach is out of date. We depend on legal schemes and techniques which, by defini- tion, are outdated as soon as they are laid down by law.” The sector must take matters into its own hands, says the poultry veterinarian, and not wait for the government.
Birds damaged for life by H3N1
Belgian poultry farmers whose birds tested positive for H3N1 bird flu in 2019 and had hoped for recovery, were disappointed. Even six weeks after the peak of many in- fections, no profitable flock was seen anywhere after re- covery. Irreparable damage to the ovaries means that the prognosis for hens is only negative, say veterinarians. Although the virus is classified in Belgium as a low patho- genic avian influenza based on official tests, it is particular- ly hard on animals in production. The laying percentage drops by 90-100% and the mortality rate averages 30-50%. Among the affected laying farms, a number of poultry farmers decided to give the surviving animals time to recover. More than half of the birds indeed managed to
26 ▶ POULTRY WORLD | No. 4, 2020
overcome the virus and were no longer contagious after- wards. “However, we saw that egg production no longer resumed or that no saleable eggs were produced. With this poor prognosis, these poultry farmers still had to slaughter the animals.” Reports by companies were confirmed by Martijn Chom- baere, advisor at the Flemish Landsbond. During the crisis he had an overview of almost all the affected farms and he observed that on farms where the animals survived H3N1 everything indicated that it was no longer possible for the flocks to resume economically viable production. “Produc- tion does get going a bit, but sellable eggs are no longer formed,” Chombaere noted.
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