Bird flu fight needs more than farm biosecurity, study finds

Britain cannot rely on farm biosecurity alone to protect its poultry industry from bird flu, according to new research highlighting wider weaknesses in planning, infrastructure and insurance.

The study found that where poultry farms and processing facilities are located — and whether producers can insure themselves against outbreaks — can significantly affect the sector’s ability to withstand highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Researchers from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) and the University of Cambridge said greater coordination across the poultry industry could be needed to improve preparedness and recovery.

The findings come after Great Britain experienced its most severe HPAI outbreaks over the past four years, repeatedly affecting commercial poultry and wild birds.

The issue carries major implications for food production. Around 1.1 billion birds are reared in Great Britain each year, mainly for meat, while the industry also produces about 12 billion eggs.

Poultry is the UK’s most popular meat and an increasingly important source of affordable protein, making the industry’s resilience important for food security, animal and human health and the wider economy.

Researchers identified planning and financial risk as two of the biggest structural challenges facing the sector.

Planning decisions can influence disease resilience because they determine where poultry production takes place and how farms and other facilities are positioned alongside environmental priorities and local communities.

The concentration of poultry farms, processing plants and other infrastructure can also affect how disease risk is managed across supply chains.

The study found that poultry meat, egg and game bird sectors face different production pressures and therefore different disease risks.

Insurance was another significant concern.

Researchers found that limited access to avian influenza insurance, together with existing compensation arrangements, can affect how producers manage financial risk and recover from outbreaks.

Dr Mat Hennessey, Lecturer in Agribusiness at the RVC, said farm-level measures remained an essential part of disease prevention but the industry also needed to consider its longer-term structure.

He said: “While the day-to-day activities which occur on and around farms are important in maintaining disease security, our study takes a step back to think about the long-term vision for a resilient poultry sector.”

He added: “Our structural analysis identifies key challenges around planning where poultry production could occur and how producers are able to insure themselves against the ongoing threat of Avian Influenza.”

The research combined scientific literature, policy documents and industry evidence with 19 stakeholder interviews, farm visits and workshops involving people from across the poultry sector.

Researchers also mapped poultry production and distribution networks to examine how different parts of the industry are connected and where vulnerabilities to disease could emerge.

The resulting maps could provide a useful resource for policymakers, researchers and the poultry industry when considering future developments and disease preparedness.

Dr Ivo Syndicus, Postdoctoral Researcher in Social Science Transformations of Biosecurity at the University of Oxford, said the threat could not be addressed solely through measures on individual farms.

He said: “To address the threat poultry in Britain faces from Avian Influenza, it is important that we look beyond farm-level biosecurity alone and take a broader view of how the structure of our poultry industry may create specific vulnerabilities.”

The findings also point to a need for closer coordination on planning and infrastructure as the industry develops.

Paniz Hosseini, a PhD student at the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge, said: “One of the key findings in this study has been around the need for multi-sectoral coordination on planning and infrastructure.”

She added that strong biosecurity practices remained important, but said wider coordination could also be necessary to improve future disease prevention and preparedness.

The research is particularly timely as work continues on the UK’s Poultry Sector Growth Plan.

As demand for poultry grows, decisions about the location of new developments, upgrades to existing facilities and the management of financial and disease risks are likely to become increasingly important.

The study was carried out as part of the FluTrailMap project, a Great Britain multidisciplinary science programme led by the Pirbright Institute.

It was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs through the UKRI Rapid Response programme.