Efficacy of Using a Laser Device to Reduce Wild (Water)Birds Visits to the Free-range area of a Layer Farm Situated in an Avian Influenza Hotspot-region in the Netherlands (original) (raw)
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Scientific Reports
In the Netherlands, free-range layer farms as opposed to indoor layer farms, are at greater risk with regard to the introduction of avian influenza viruses (AIVs). Wild waterfowl are the natural reservoir hosts of AIVs, and play a major role in their transmission to poultry by contaminating free-range layer areas. The laser as a wild bird repellent has been in use since the 1970s, in particular around airfields to reduce bird-strike. The efficacy of laser for reducing wild bird numbers in and around free-range poultry areas has however not been investigated. During the autumn–winter, wild bird visits to the free-range area of a layer farm was surveilled by video-camera for a month without laser, followed by a month with laser. The automated laser (Class-III B qualification) was operated in two separate areas (i) within the poultry free-range area that directly bordered the poultry barn between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 a.m. when poultry were absent (free-range study area, size 1.5 ha), an...
Slovenian veterinary research, 2021
Biosecurity application in poultry farms means measures or practices which limit or prevent the spread of many harmful pathogens onto or out of the farm. When teamed with disinfection and sanitation procedures, biosecurity practices can eradicate or reduce pathogens to noninfectious levels and this illustrate that prevention is better than cure. Such preventive measures as vaccination and serologic monitoring also help to ensure good flock health. Inadequate biosecurity can contribute to creation of wide epidemics of highly pathogenic diseases such as avian influenza virus. For data collection, a predesigned questionnaire was created, and two visits were applied for investigating the application of biosecurity measures in the selected farms. Results summarize the response of the farm workers regarding the application of biosecurity measures in 244 farms under investigation. Regarding the number of farms with footbath, it was 150 (61%) in the first visit, although only 133 (56%) were filled with disinfectant. While, in the second visit, footbath number was significantly increased to 190 (78%) (χ12 = 12.68, P > 0.01) and 169 (69%) were filled with disinfectant (χ12 = 7.39, P > 0.01). The increased cleanliness of the area between the farm gate and poultry house was significantly increased from 68% in the first visit to 85% after the second visit (χ12 = 19.1, P > 0.01). As a result of the improved biosecurity measures observed in the second visit, the occurrence of avian influenza infection has significantly reduced from 36% to 20% in the farms under investigation. This in turn highlights the important role of biosecurity measures in the prevention and control of avian influenza infection. There is a need for more consideration on biosecurity measures targeting dead birds' disposal, changing shoes before entrance to the farm, presence of clothes for visitors, disinfection of injection tools, disinfection machines and veterinary supervision.
Slaughter of poultry during the epidemic of avian influenza in the Netherlands in 2003
Veterinary Record, 2006
During an outbreak of avian influenza in the Netherlands in spring 2003, the disease was controlled by destroying all the poultry on the infected farms and on all the farms within a radius of 3 km. In total, 30 million birds were killed on 1242 farms and in more than 8000 hobby flocks, by using mobile containers filled with carbon dioxide, mobile electrocution lines and by gassing whole poultry houses with carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide. Observations of these methods were used to compare their effectiveness and capacity, and their effects on the welfare of the birds. Gassing whole poultry houses had a much greater capacity than mobile equipment, and catching live birds to bring them to a mobile killing device caused extra stress and could cause pain due to injuries inflicted when catching and handling them. Gassing whole poultry houses with carbon monoxide requires strict safety regulations and, therefore, gassing with carbon dioxide was considered preferable. However, this method is not suited to all types of housing, and in these circumstances mobile killing devices were a useful alternative.
Risk for Low Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Virus on Poultry Farms, the Netherlands, 2007-2013
Emerging infectious diseases, 2017
Using annual serologic surveillance data from all poultry farms in the Netherlands during 2007-2013, we quantified the risk for the introduction of low pathogenicity avian influenza virus (LPAIV) in different types of poultry production farms and putative spatial-environmental risk factors: distance from poultry farms to clay soil, waterways, and wild waterfowl areas. Outdoor-layer, turkey (meat and breeder), and duck (meat and breeder) farms had a significantly higher risk for LPAIV introduction than did indoor-layer farms. Except for outdoor-layer, all poultry types (i.e., broilers, chicken breeders, ducks, and turkeys) are kept indoors. For all production types, LPAIV risk decreased significantly with increasing distance to medium-sized waterways and with increasing distance to areas with defined wild waterfowl, but only for outdoor-layer and turkey farms. Future research should focus not only on production types but also on distance to waterways and wild bird areas. In addition,...
Development and Implementation of Arduino-based Birds Repellent for Farmers
2020
The problem faced by rice farmers in terms of bird scaring is quite worrisome and demands urgent intervention especially at this critical period in the history of our dear country when the price of rice is increasing almost on daily basis as a result of land border closure against the importation of rice coupled with covid-19 pandemic and inability of indigenous farmers to meet up with local consumption demands. According to the local reports in Nigeria, quelea birds invasions of many major rice farms in Jigawa, Kebbi, Kano, Kaduna, Ogun and Ekiti account for over 15% loss in rice production yearly. This has been one of the major discouraging factors affecting rice production in Nigeria. Unchecked birds invasion of farm badly affects the quantity and quality of farm produce. The use of women and children in tedious and laborious work of bird scaring should be discouraged because it negatively affect productivity as precious time is devoted on birds scaring process thereby affecting ...
The Role of Poultry Farms and Wild Birds During 2016-2017 Avian Influenza Epizootic in Europe
Journal of the Hellenic Veterinary Medical Society, 2021
Avian influenza is a contagious viral disease, affecting several species of birds, and poses a significant public threat. During 2016-2017, there were 2,224 high pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in Europe, which led to the destruction of 9,663,770 birds, and 72 low pathogenic avian influenza outbreaks in 5 European countries, which caused 276,584 bird fatalities. The majority of the epidemics were in wild and backyard birds, except for France and Hungary, where the majority of outbreaks were in duck-goose farms. Notably, there were a total of 100 outbreaks in turkey farms and 37 outbreaks in layer farms, while in broiler farms there were only 10. It is indisputable that wild birds are natural hosts and reservoirs for all types of avian influenza viruses. However, the role of poultry farms on the AI intra-country epidemiology has not been fully clarified. Based on the official reports of OIE for AI, this study indicates that poultry farms, especially fattening turkey and layer chicken farms, are high-risk factors concerning the introduction of the disease into an area and its spread into other poultry farms.