In an official declaration, the Secretary of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food, Francisco Javier Mayorga Castañeda said that the country had implemented measures for the diagnosis, control, eradication and surveillance of both active and passive forms of the disease through epidemiological surveys conducted throughout the whole of Mexico's poultry production.

He said the declaration of Mexico as a Newcastle Disease free zone would aid the marketing of poultry products and by-products and have a positive effect on poultry production in the country.

He said the industry that is valued at 1.5 billion pesos will now become more competitive and profitable.

To ensure the country remains free of the disease Snr Mayorga Castañeda said it was essential that Mexico continues to implement sanitary measures for diagnosis, prevention, control, surveillance, the control of movement of poultry, transport, transit, marketing and traceability of poultry products and byproducts, as well as implements used in poultry production that are contained in the Mexican Official Standard.

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“We sent samples for investigation to London after chickens started to die of a mysterious disease in commercial poultry farms,” said Ram Krishna Khatiwada, of the government’s Directorate of Animal Health.

“We have received the test reports today that confirm infection of bird flu in poultry farms in Khanar and Ithari of the Sunsari district.”

Bird flu has also been confirmed in the eastern hills of Panchathar district and the tea-producing area of Ilam, Katiwada told AFP, adding that surveillance of farms was to be stepped up and 4,000 chickens would be killed in the affected areas.

“There has not been infection to humans in the area so far,” he added.

“Some have complained of itching and vomiting but that is only panic. We will get the situation under control in one or two days.”

Nepal’s first reported outbreak of bird flu in poultry was in January 2009 in the eastern part of the country.

The virus reached the capital Kathmandu for the first time in December last year, with health workers culling hundreds of chickens and ducks.

If it spreads to humans, bird flu can cause fever, cough, sore throat, pneumonia, respiratory disease and sometimes death. AFP

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Following the president's historic executive order on regulation, issued in January 2011, this re-proposal reflects the department's careful attention to public comments and its conclusion that it is appropriate to provide the public with further opportunities to participate in the regulatory process.

The parental exemption allows children of any age who are employed by their parent, or a person standing in the place of a parent, to perform any job on a farm owned or operated by their parent or such person standing in the place of a parent. Congress created the parental exemption in 1966 when it expanded protections for children employed in agriculture and prohibited their employment in jobs the Department of Labour declared particularly hazardous for children under the age of 16 to perform.

The department recognises the unique attributes of farm families and rural communities. The re-proposal process will seek comments and inputs as to how the department can comply with statutory requirements to protect children, while respecting rural traditions. The re-proposed portion of the rule is expected to be published for public comment by early summer. The department will continue to review the comments received regarding the remaining portions of the proposed rule for inclusion in a final rule.

Until the revised exemption is final, the Wage and Hour Division will apply the parental exemption to situations in which the parent or person standing in the place of a parent is a part owner of the farm, a partner in a partnership or an officer of a corporation that owns the farm if the ownership interest in the partnership or corporation is substantial. This approach is consistent with guidance the Wage and Hour Division has provided to the public on its website for the past several years.

"The Department of Labour appreciates and respects the role of parents in raising their children and assigning tasks and chores to their children on farms and of relatives such as grandparents, aunts and uncles in keeping grandchildren, nieces and nephews out of harm's way," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "This announcement to re-propose the parental exemption means the department will have the benefit of additional public comment, and the public will have an opportunity to consider a revised approach to this issue. We will continue to work closely with the US Department of Agriculture to ensure that our child labour in agriculture rule generally, and the parental exemption specifically, fully reflect input from rural communities."

"I want to applaud Secretary Solis and the Department of Labor for their decision to re-propose this portion of the rule to ensure kids across the nation have the opportunity to learn the value and reward of good old-fashioned farm work, while still providing protection to children from the most dangerous aspects of farming," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "The Labour Department listened to farmers and ranchers across the country. This announcement and the additional opportunity for comment represent a common-sense approach to strengthen our agricultural economy while keeping farm kids safe. It reflects the Obama administration's commitment to the American values that will keep our rural and agricultural economies growing, and keep rural communities and families prosperous."

The department published and invited public comments on its proposed rule on child labor in agriculture on 2 September, 2011. The proposed rule aimed to increase protections for children working in agriculture while preserving the benefits that safe and healthy work can provide. The Wage and Hour Division was driven to update its 40-year-old child labor regulations by studies showing that children are significantly more likely to be killed while performing agricultural work than while working in all other industries combined. The department's child labor in agriculture statutory authority extends only to children employed in agriculture who are 15 years of age or younger.

The department will continue to consider feedback from the public, Congress and the Department of Agriculture on portions of the rule outside of the parental exemption before it is finalised.

 

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Department of Primary Industries officers raided six broiler farms across the state, all belonging to Melbourne-based company Tip Top Poultry, late last week.

The officers were responding to reports that some of the chickens were not being fed regularly at the producer's farms in northern Victoria, south-west Victoria and West Gippsland.

According to BrisbaneTimes, the 700,000 birds seized represented most of the company's total supply.

Some of the chickens had to be put down due to poor health.

The DPI's executive director of Biosecurity Victoria, Hugh Millar, said the seized chickens were now being fed and properly cared for by another major poultry company.

"They will eventually be processed for commercial sale once they have reached the appropriate size and condition," Dr Millar said in a statement today.

He said the birds were disease-free and that the incident was not related to recent disease outbreaks in poultry flocks.

The DPI is investigating whether the company has breached the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

Tip Top Poultry could not be reached for comment.

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Registration figures for the leading trade exhibition for modern animal husbandry and breeding in Russia, AgroFarm, are looking very good.

From 7 to 9 February 2012, some 270 exhibitors from 23 countries, including numerous top international corporate players, will come together at the Moscow-based VVC site (All-Russian Exhibition Centre (AREC)) to showcase today's latest technologies and procedures along with modern genetics for the cattle, pig, poultry, goat and sheep sectors.

As these figures show, the exhibition is thus continuing to grow. Indeed, the number of exhibitors has increased by 20 over last year’s event. And AgroFarm has become even more international too, with 23 countries set to take part in comparison with 17 in 2011.

The strongest foreign contingents are from Germany, Denmark, USA, France and the Netherlands. AgroFarm is organised by DLG International GmbH, a subsidiary of DLG (Deutsche Landwirtschafts-Gesellschaft / German Agricultural Society), and ZAO ‘MVK VVC’.

The event is officially supported by the Russian Federation’s Ministry of Agriculture. The exhibition partners include National Dairy Farmers Union (Soyuzmoloko), National Pig Producers Union of Russia, Russian Poultry Union (Rosptitsesoyuz) and National Cattlemen's Beef Association of Russia.

New: Information Centre 'Preventing mycotoxicoses'
In addition to the excellent range of products and services showcased by the exhibitors, AgroFarm 2012 offers an information centre and Specials on a range of topical issues. The information centre 'Preventing mycotoxicoses in livestock and poultry' will look at the latest technologies and preventive strategies in the field of feed production and feed storage.

Furthermore, visitors can find out more about products that can reduce the impact the pathogens have on the animal organism. They can also learn more about techniques for determining the mycotoxin content in feed.

The Special on 'Integrated Farm Management' focuses on modern management concepts for cattle farming. This event looks at the entire production chain from milking through to matters of profitability and presents integrated decision-making instruments and automated systems.

The Special 'Russian science in livestock farming' will be repeated this year, too, giving leading research institutes a forum on which to present their latest research findings.

This year AgroFarm's technical programme will consist of more than 40 conferences, seminars and discussions on the major issues surrounding Russian animal farming, including the specialist forum to be held at 11 a.m. on 7 February 2012 which will ask how we should go about 'generating an attractive investment climate for animal husbandry, with a view to modernisation.'

Key figures from the Agriculture Ministry, representatives of the veterinary services and plant-health inspectorate will be attending, along with representatives of associations, leading companies and banks.

The live demonstrations on hoof and udder care again promise to be a top attraction for Russian cattle farmers.

For more detailed information on AgroFarm 2012, please click here. Email enquiries can be sent to agrofarm@DLG.org.

 

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Experts and traders argue that the poultry farms are the main reason for the butane gas cylinder crisis.

The owners of these farms get the big depot owners to sell them the cylinders which they use to keep their fowl and their chicks warm.

The resulting shortage has pushed up the price of a cylinder to LE50; they should only cost LE5 each.

According to Ministerial Decree No. 3/2009, the owners of cafés, poultry farms and shops who use butane cylinders for commercial purposes should be sent to prison and fined up to LE1,000.

But this decree wasn’t put into effect because of the revolution which overthrew president Hosni Mubarak and his regime last February.

One gas depot owner, speaking on condition of anonymity, says that some brick factories use about 600 gas cylinders each per day. This has also contributed to the shocking rise in the prices of butane gas.

"I struggle to feed my family. How can I afford to pay LE50 for a gas cylinder?” Ahmed Ali, a taxi driver with three children, asked The Egyptian Gazette, adding that he has to queue for hours for petrol.

I often have to drive from petrol station to petrol station, only to be greeted by the same sign, ‘Out of petrol’.

A recent campaign, conducted jointly by the Supply Police and the supervisory authority responsible for supplies in Kafr el-Sheikh, turned up about 260 butane gas in 30 poultry farms.

Eng. Mohamed Shoeib, executive vice-chairman of the Petroleum Operations Authority, told Al-Wafd newspaper that many chicken farms and brick plants use large quantities of gas cylinders and it is this that has caused the crisis.

Dr Gamal el-Naggar, a vet working in the Veterinary Medicine Administration in Belbeis and supervisor of the poultry farms there, says the real reason for this annual crisis is that Egypt imports around 50 per cent of the gas cylinders it needs from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Algeria, but it can’t afford the rest.

"The problem is getting worse. Meanwhile, the cylinders are often late arriving," he adds, arguing that the Government of Kamal el-Ganzouri should provide the poultry farms with natural gas.

"It must do this, because poultry is a vital Egyptian industry, providing food security for millions of poor people who cannot afford to buy beef, which now sells for LE50 or LE60 per kilo in some upmarket districts.

"Around 90 per cent of these farms have stopped production due to the shortage of gas cylinders which they need to keep the chicks warm. If they aren’t kept warm, the chicks die and many people lose their jobs, so the Government should step in."

The poultry farm owners don’t deny they use gas cylinders in their work, arguing that the State does not give them enough help. Chicks need an ambient temperature of 31 degrees Celsius in order to survive and the farmers want the Government to provide them with natural gas, instead of selling it to Israel at low prices.

Hajj Hussein Abdel-Hamid, the owner of a poultry farm in el-Sharqiya Governorate, had to close his farm because he could no longer afford the gas cylinders to keep his chicks warm. Every farm needs about 300 gas cylinders.

Another chicken farmer, Mohamed el-Shafei, ran up against the same problem. He had to buy three heaters for warming his chicks, costing LE18,000 each.

He then met another problem – a shortage of the petrol and octane used to operate the heaters.

An additional expense is medicine: every 10,000 chicks need medicines costing about LE15,000 in the first forty-five days of their lives. In addition, the price of chicken feed has recently risen. One tonne of feed now costs around LE3,400. Because of all of this, the public have to pay more for their poultry.

"A kilo of chicken now costs LE14 and I need to buy 3kg costing LE42 for my family. I’m fed up. Where are the fruits of the revolution? Basic commodities keep on getting more and more expensive," mother-of-four Amal Mahmoud told The Egyptian Gazette.

Souad Salah, a small-scale trader, told this newspaper that she used to sell three cages full of poultry every day, but now she sells only one cage at most, owing to the price hikes.

"People have begun to rationalise. This leaves us in a serious dilemma and the Government must help us by resolving the cylinder crisis as soon as possible," she said.

Ahmed Sawaff, who owns a chicken shop, says that the price of poultry will rise again, because of the shortage of both chickens and gas cylinders.

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The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) received follow-up report no. 58 on Friday, 3 February.

A total of 3632 birds were found susceptible, out of which 1593 cases were reported. While 200 deaths occurred, 3432 birds were destroyed.

The source of the outbreak remains inconclusive.

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“Following last year’s tremendous take up by exhibitors which resulted in 92% surveyed indicating they will rebook, we have launched the schedule three weeks earlier to allow more time for allocation and it is available on-line this year for the first time to make it easier for companies to book space,” says RABDF chief executive, Nick Everington.

“We would urge all exhibitors to submit application forms before 29 February in order to benefit from the first allocation of stand space as we expect increased up take having widened the event’s appeal to not only beef, sheep and goats, but also the pig and poultry sectors.”

He adds: “Since relocating to The NEC’s easily accessed modern venue two years ago, trade stand space has increased by 32 per cent to 480 exhibitors, of which 96 per cent indicated they will rebook the same stand space or larger in 2012."

"Their intentions reflect the fact that the vast majority 80 per cent, rated The NEC as excellent or good as a show venue, with a similar number indicating build up and breakdown was excellent or good. Quality of enquiries was rated as good or excellent by 82 per cent of exhibitors and 67 per cent of them took orders at the show or as a direct result.

”We look forward to building on these results at Livestock 2012 to provide ruminant livestock farmers with a one stop shop for all their input requirements, and also to welcome pig and poultry producers for the first time.”

Livestock 2012 stand space schedules, including all application forms, can be found at www.livestockevent.co.uk. For further information call 0845 4582711.

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The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) received follow-up report no. 6 on Friday, 3 February.

According to the report, a peregrine falcon was collected on 30 January 2012 at Tung Chung. The peregrine falcon is a rare winter visitor in Hong Kong.

On the same date, a black-headed gull was collected at Yuen Long. The black-headed gull is a common winter visitor in Hong Kong.

Both birds were found dead. An intensive surveillance system is in place for all poultry farms, poultry markets and pet bird shops in Hong Kong. The H5N1 infected wild birds and goose carcass from unknown source were detected in ongoing surveillance programme on wild birds. The dates of the outbreaks are the same as the dates the birds were collected (i.e. 17 December 2011, 30 December 2011, 1 January 2012, 12 January 2012, 20 January 2012 and 30 January 2012 respectively).

A total of 19,451 poultry, including 15,569 chickens, 810 pigeons, 1,950 pheasants and 1,122 silky fowls were culled in the Cheung Sha Wan Temporary Wholesale Poultry Market on 21 December 2011. The Wholesale Poultry Market was closed. Importation of live poultry and movement of poultry in local farms is banned for 21 days.

Surveillance and monitoring of local chicken farms has been stepped up. No H5 virus was detected in samples taken from the 30 chicken farms in Hong Kong. The Wholesale Poultry Market was reopened on 12 January 2012.

 

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Henry Wan, an assistant professor in systems biology at MSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, collaborated with scientists in the World Health Organization Collaborative Centers for Influenza in China and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to investigate the connection.

"Although conceptually we knew live bird markets posed a risk for human H5N1 infection, there had previously not been any direct evidence, especially molecular evidence, supporting this hypothesis," Dr Wan said.

Based on information provided by patients infected with the H5N1 virus during the 2008-2009 season, Dr Wan and his colleagues collected and analyzed 69 environmental samples from the live bird markets visited by six patients before the onset of the disease.

"From these 69 samples, we isolated a total of 12 highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza viruses from four of the six live bird markets. The similarity of the genetic sequence of the environmental and corresponding human isolates demonstrates a solid link between human infection and live poultry markets," Dr Wan said.

Dr Wan said the goal of his research is to find the sources of human H5N1 infections and provide the foundations for policy-making for protecting public health. While the United States has regulations in place to protect consumers, this is not the case in all countries.

Dr Wan began studying avian influenza while conducting graduate work in southern China in 1996. He was the first scientist to identify the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus. One year later, this virus infected humans in Hong Kong, resulting in six deaths.

The subsequent massive depopulation of poultry stopped the human outbreak for a time, but two cases identified in Hong Kong in 2003 confirmed the virus was still circulating in the region and posed a health hazard. From 2003 to 2011, the World Health Organization recorded a total of 566 confirmed human cases for avian influenza worldwide that have resulted in 332 deaths. To date, there have not been any highly pathogenic H5N1 detections in the United States.

Dr Wan, whose other area of expertise is developing computer programs to model the mutation of viruses and to identify vaccine strains, performed an evolutionary study on this virus to identify the links between the human and avian strains of the virus at the molecular level.

"H5N1 viruses have spread to both wild and domestic bird populations in many countries, predominately in Asia, Africa and Europe," Dr Wan said.

Although no sustained human-to-human transmissions of the H5N1 virus have been confirmed, the mortality rate among human cases to date is about 60 per cent.

Dr Wan hopes the results of this study can be used to develop policies to prevent and control H5N1 infections in humans.

"For instance, control and regulations of live bird markets could be used to help prevent the H5N1 human infections in areas that have active live bird markets," he said.

In the United States, most live bird markets are in major metropolitan areas.

"We have live bird markets in many major cities with large concentrations of ethnic groups who prefer to buy live poultry rather than processed poultry," said CVM’s Dr Danny Magee, director of the Poultry Research and Diagnostic Laboratory in Pearl. "The US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has monitoring procedures in place to prevent and control the disease in live bird markets and in the production premises and poultry distributors that supply those markets."

Dr Magee said Mississippi’s commercial poultry industry follows biosecurity protocols to protect the chickens on the farms from avian influenza.

"Raising chickens in confinement minimizes their exposure to wild migratory waterfowl, which have been identified as possible reservoirs of the avian influenza virus," he said. "Biosecurity practices also limit exposure of the chickens to unauthorized visitors on the farm. The flocks are raised as securely as possible, and then they are tested for exposure to the avian influenza virus before they are sent to market. Every flock in the state undergoes this serological test so the consumer can be assured that the product is safe."

Poultry is Mississippi’s top agricultural commodity, with a 2011 production value of $2.21 billion.

"Approximately 15 million broilers are processed in Mississippi each week," Dr Magee said. "We test the breeders that lay the eggs to produce the broilers, and we test the commercial egg-laying birds. The facility in Pearl is one of the labs in the Southeast that performs the regulatory test to monitor for the presence of the avian influenza virus in the commercial poultry industry."

 

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