Significant numbers of Egg producers at risk of Avian Influenza

A recent study into the threat of avian influenza to egg farms found that a significant number of units were at high risk of infection.

The study was carried out by scientists at the University of Vechta in Germany and was conducted on more than 300 farms in Germany, Holland and Austria. The work was conducted as part of a project for the EU to develop new measures to combat AI. Action is now being taken to help egg producers throughout the EU protect themselves from the risk of AI infection.

The results of the survey were outlined to delegates at the International Egg Commission London conference at the end of March. Barbara Grabkowsky was responsible for the research, ’Strategies for prevention monitoring and control of avian influenza’, and it was she who explained to delegates how the project had been conducted and the results of her work.

Investigations had been carried out on 343 farms in all to assess the risk of AI posed to farmers. "The latest outbreaks show that AI still presents a global threat," she said. Bio security was a key factor in reducing the risk of infection and she said she wanted to establish whether bio security was being breached on egg units. If it was being breached, she wanted to assess how big those breaches were. "Bio security on farms needed to be investigated."

As part of the study, farmers were asked to complete questionnaires about the operation of their egg units. They were also asked to keep log books. The study looked into issues like farm management and risk factors on the farm and evaluated the first line of defence against AI infection. Farms of various sizes were involved in the study. Barbara Grabkowsky said there were large numbers of units where defences against AI needed to be improved.

Some 62 per cent of the farms studied had litter storage open to wild birds, for example. She said that 31 per cent of farms shared machinery with other farms yet 55 per cent of farms did not clean or disinfect the tools before returning them. She said that 17 per cent of farmers did not wash their hands before entering the hen house.

Barbara Grabkowsky said she also looked into whether the nature of the farm or its location had any effect on a farmer’s approach to AI prevention. She analysed the results for farms in densely populated areas, those in centres of egg production and whether the results were better or worse on large layer farms.

In densely populated areas, farms still showed high numbers of tradesmen and transport staff visiting farms without any rules like an insistence on professional clothing to prevent infection. High numbers of farmers did not wash their hands before entering the hen house and high numbers did not disinfect machinery. Many had little or no vermin control and only a small number had a disease prevention plan.

In the centres of egg production, farms were divided into three categories – small farms with up to 10,000 birds, medium farms with between 10,000 and 50,000 birds and large farms with more than 50,000 birds. Barbara Grabkowsky said that a number of risk factors were lower on the larger farms, although the multiple usage of trays was still a problem on many large farms. In Austria there were high numbers of farms where wild birds had access to storage.

She said she had devised a traffic light system to assess the risk of infection across the farms taking part in the survey. Points were awarded for various risk factors appearing on a farm and the farm was assessed as red, amber or green for high, medium and low risk. Barbara Grabkowsky said a surprisingly large number of layer farms were considered high risk.

In Austria, more than 33 per cent of farms were high risk, with more than 66 per cent assessed as medium. There were no low risk farms. In Germany, the percentage of high risk farms was lower, although 14 per cent of those studied still made it into the red band. More than 63 per cent were medium risk and more than 22 per cent low risk. Holland had the highest percentage of high risk farms – just over 36 per cent were assessed as red. The rest were medium risk. There were no low risk farms in Holland.

Barbara Grabkowsky said it was possible and necessary to reduce the level of risk by improving bio security on egg farms. "Farmers need to know that bio security is the first line of defence. It is essential to minimise the introduction of pathogens."

As a result of the study, Barbara Grabkowsky has created a series of check lists for farmers to use. These check lists show how risk can be reduced in day to day operations on the farm. One shows the sequence to follow before entering the hen house – foot dip, hand washing and the use of shoes and overalls. She has also created an internet based risk assessment tool. Farmers can input information into the tool on the net and receive an instant assessment of the AI risk on their farms. This tool is currently available to German speaking farmers only, but it will be translated for English speaking farmers.

"Prevention is better than the cure," said Barbara. "High bio security results in lower costs for the farmer."