Bird

With the emergence of another case of the avian influenza in Romania, agriculturists and economists are fearfully looking to the future and the effects that a case of the disease would have on the United States.

Since 1997, a strain of the avian flu known as H5N1 has spread from Hong Kong all throughout Asia and now to Romania. This strain can be lethal in humans.

The expansion of the disease has been tied to flocks of birds, which since have been eradicated. The outbreak also has caused the deaths of 60 people.

But the possibility of an outbreak in North Carolina is fairly low, said Dr. Jo Anna Quinn, director of poultry health programs for the N.C. Department of Agriculture.

"If it were to come in, we would do everything possible to contain it and to prevent the spread of flu to other flocks around North Carolina," Quinn said.

To contain an outbreak officials would quarantine the infected flock and the farm on which it is located, halt the traffic of chickens, equipment and waste in and out of that farm, and eradicate the infected flock.

"In the event of an avian influenza outbreak, our policy is to work closely with the (U.S. Department of Agriculture), the state officials and the industry to take whatever steps would be necessary to prevent the spread of the disease," said Julie DeYoung, spokeswoman for Perdue Farms.

In the United States, poultry production is a $28 billion industry. In North Carolina specifically, the industry accounts for more than $2 billion of the state's income.

According to U.S. Census reports in 2002, poultry sales accounted for 34 percent of North Carolina's agricultural income.

The announcement of an outbreak and the subsequent eradication of an infected flock would have a notable effect on North Carolina's economy, leading to a decrease in chicken consumption and a decrease in profit for N.C. farmers, said Mike Walden, professor of agricultural and resource economics at N.C. State University.

For some counties in North Carolina where poultry is the main source of income, there would be severe effects, especially if farms in those counties are forced to lay off workers, Walden said.

Bob Ford, executive director of the N.C. Poultry Federation, said that North Carolina's poultry exports to countries in South America also would suffer.

Total exports accounted for $189.7 million in 2003, according to the N.C Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

With such potential for harm, poultry producers around the state and country are taking steps to protect their fowl from the avian flu.

"We are being vigilant, trying to do surveillance testing in our poultry," Quinn said.

Perdue Farms, which has at least one location in the state, routinely tests its stock even if there is a lack of suspicious behavior from the flock, DeYoung said.

"For years we've had strict bio-security policies, and we monitor the health of every flock," she said.

"It's an ongoing concern for us."

 

Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.