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AVIAN INFLUENZA SURVEILLANCE STEPPED UP AROUND AFFECTED FARM
Moorefield, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Agriculture (WVDA) was continuing stepped-up surveillance around the Pendleton County farm that tested positive for H5N2 low-pathogenicity avian influenza (AI) earlier this week. Depopulation and disposal operations at the affected farm came to a close Wednesday. All tests so far have come back negative.
Workers finished depopulating 25,000 turkeys Monday and had the carcasses prepared for on-farm composting Wednesday afternoon. The composting process should be completed in approximately six weeks. Decontamination procedures have begun at the farm.
West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass thanked the many people and agencies that assisted with depopulation and disposal operations, but remained guarded about the chance of other positive cases.
“The effort by the WVDA staff has been tremendous and the cooperation of industry and local emergency services superb,” said Commissioner Douglass. “As for the chance of new positives, we are hopeful that this was an isolated incident, but we won’t be able to answer that question definitively until next week.”
He also reminded poultry farmers of restrictions in place regarding movement of poultry litter. Poultry farms in the five-county area consisting of Hardy, Grant, Pendleton, Mineral and Hampshire Counties may conduct litter crust-outs on their houses, but are prohibited from full cleanouts and/or any land applications of litter. Crust-outs are when farmers remove the top layer of litter, leaving most of the bedding in the house.
All off-farm movement of litter is strictly prohibited in the five counties, as is spreading of litter on fields.
Farms within a six-mile containment zone of the affected farm are prohibited from any litter-related activities, including crust-outs. Owners of those farms have been notified individually.
Farmers are also advised to cover any litter piles that had been moved to fields, but not spread before the land-application ban went into effect. Covering with an impermeable membrane, such as plastic tarp, protects the nutrients in the litter while preventing contaminated runoff. For more information on covering litter piles, contact the WVDA or the WVU Extension Service.
“I realize that this is a very inconvenient time to halt the spreading of litter, as farmers are trying to fertilize their fields for spring planting,” said Commissioner Douglass. “However, I urge everyone to please comply with this order to protect our poultry industry from any other possible health problems. I will lift this order as soon as I am convinced it is safe to do so.”
Avian influenza is an ongoing concern for the West Virginia poultry industry, as evidenced by the extensive, routine disease surveillance conducted in commercial poultry flocks.
Routine pre-slaughter testing revealed AI in the current case. The testing represents enhanced surveillance protocols in place since the 2002 AI outbreak in Virginia. One farm in West Virginia tested positive during that outbreak. The industry has maintained the testing protocols – supported by the WVDA laboratory in Moorefield – to prevent diseased birds from being moved and possibly spreading AI in the process.
WVDA is currently testing all farms within a six-mile radius containment zone of the affected farm, regardless of the age of the birds in question. All results so far have been negative. Final results from that area are expected by next week. Additional regional surveillance has also been initiated throughout the region.
NOTE: Earlier releases by the WVDA mistakenly identified the avian influenza strain in the 2002 outbreak in Virginia and West Virginia as H5N2, the strain currently affecting West Virginia. The 2002 strain was H7N2. However, both outbreaks involved low-pathogenicity strains of the disease which pose no threat to human health.
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The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org.
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