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RESULTS NEGATIVE WITHIN SIX-MILE SURVEILLANCE ZONE
Moorefield, W.Va. – The West Virginia Department of Agriculture announced Friday that testing of commercial flocks within the six-mile containment zone revealed no positive results for avian influenza (AI).
Officials say decontamination of the farm and the road passing through the farm should be complete and the road reopened to normal traffic after 3 p.m. today. Regional surveillance outside the six-mile zone is continuing in addition to pre-slaughter testing routinely conducted before flocks are moved from farms.
WVDA has also temporarily suspended other routine testing at the Moorefield Laboratory to allow for the increase in poultry-related testing.
West Virginia Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass 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 and hay crops,” said Commissioner Douglass Wednesday. “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 outbreak of H7N2 AI in Virginia. One farm in West Virginia tested positive during that outbreak. The industry has maintained the enhanced surveillance and testing protocols, supported by the WVDA laboratory in Moorefield and as outlined in the avian influenza prevention and response protocol.
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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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