To protect your own farm and the Australian layer industry from the threat of virulent avian influenza, you should make sure all of your biosecurity procedures are set up and working properly. The critical control points to prevent disease getting into your commercial layer flocks (identified in the Code of Practice for Biosecurity in the Egg Industry) include:

• entry of chicks, litter, equipment, vehicles, people and feed into started pullet farms;
• entry of litter, started pullets, adult fowls, equipment, vehicles, people and feed into egg production farms;
• the presence of wild birds and rodents in sheds or where hens and pullets range;
• water sanitation on farms using surface water for internal shed fogging or bird drinking water and for disposal systems for dead birds, reject eggs and manure from the farm; and
• the presence of non-poultry bird species, other poultry and pigs on the farm.

Therefore, some key actions to take are:

• ensure all farm boundaries are secure to prevent access of unauthorised visitors or animals;
• only bring birds, litter, feed etc in from reliable sources that you are confident are disease-free;
• do not allow visitors or vehicles and equipment onto the farm if they have been in contact with other poultry within 24 hours. If access is necessary, ensure that vehicles and equipment are cleaned and sanitised prior to entry and provide clean clothes/overclothes to visitors;
• ensure only town-water, tested clean bore-water or sanitised bore or surface water is used for fogging or drinking water. Prevent access of free range birds to unsanitised surface water;
• Minimise access of wild birds and animals to your birds through maintenance of fencing and shedding, control of feed sources, pest control programs and keeping the area around the birds clean and clear;
• Do not keep non-poultry bird species, other poultry and pigs where they can come into contact with your birds.

For a copy of the Code of Practice for Biosecurity in the Egg Industry contact the Australian Egg Corporation Ltd on 02 9409 6999.

Source: Australian Egg Corporation Ltd