Mass slaughter of B.C. fowl ordered

[dArKeR]

By LUMA MUHTADIE
Globe and Mail Update

Agriculture Minister Bob Speller has ordered the slaughter of about 19 million birds in B.C.'s Fraser Valley in an attempt to stem the spread of avian influenza.


The mass cull amounts to the depopulation of all the commercial and backyard bird flocks of chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and pigeons between Hope and the outskirts of Greater Vancouver — in effect wiping out 80 per cent of British Columbia's $1-billion poultry industry.


"We are dealing with a very serious and very highly contagious disease in birds, and it is becoming clear that the rapid spread of the virus requires much more aggressive action to minimize its additional spread," Mr. Speller told a news conference on Monday.

http://theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20040405.wavia_20405/BNStory/National/

[nolabels]

1. This is really getting interesting in some aspects

The whole poultry industry has problems with this. They are never going to be able to win in the long run. This kind of crap has to have been around for ages, probably as long as birds have been migrating

Check this out link out for more background also (lots about it everywhere)

http://www.manorcourtvets.co.uk/AvianNewsPage.htm
(snip) (about 1/4 way down)
More than 3 months after the outbreak of avian influenza in several Asian countries, with 23
human deaths in Thailand and Viet Nam, the situation has improved in China, Thailand and Viet
Nam, according to the two organizations. "The crisis is still not over," FAO and OIE warned. "In
countries such as Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand, further outbreaks could still flare up.
The virus could spread again within and between countries. As long as the H5N1 virus is not fully
under control, the potential threat to human health remains." In particular, appropriate
precautionary measures have to be put in place to ensure that infected zones become free from
infection and remain so. Before countries resume restocking, they must apply strong surveillance
and biosecurity measures, to ensure that potential new infections are discovered and contained
immediately, FAO and OIE said. The absence of the virus has to be proved by virus search and
serological surveys. In countries applying vaccination programmes, non-vaccinated susceptible
chickens, so-called "sentinel animals", should be used. The movement of poultry and
contaminated goods must be carefully monitored to avoid the reintroduction of the virus from
affected areas. Contact between wild and domestic birds has to be minimised. Up to date, at
least 100 million birds have died or have been culled to control the disease. March]
(snip)

[PfcHammer]

2. sic cheyney & scalia on 'em

[arikara]

3. They were talking about it on CBC radio this morning

There is NO bird flu in any of the free range organically fed chickens that are living right beside the hot zones. They admitted that the problem is entirely due to the way that the chickens are raised... crammed and overcrowded into big barns without any natural light and fed unnatural rendered animal byproduct feed and loaded with medications.

And I would like to know how these chickens that are totally kept inside are picking up disease from wild birds when chickens that are running around outside are not? Spin and more spin.

[Occulus]

4. 19 million birds.

I was going to post a pic of me eating crow re biological threats, but I think I'll wait.