Dr. Louise Dufour Zavala on HPAI: 2022 HPAI now mostly being spread from wildlife
The American Feed Industry Association (AFIA) hosted a half-day educational program in conjunction with the International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) held in Atlanta earlier in 2023.
According to IPPE organizers, nearly 1,200 exhibitors showcased their latest technology and solutions and occupied more than 532,000 square feet of exhibit space. IPPE hosted nearly 28,000 registered attendees from the poultry and egg, meat and animal food industries. The convention is the world's largest of its kind and is one of the 30 largest trade shows in the U.S.
The latest on avian influenza
The biosecurity educational program offered more than 150 registered attendees a chance to hear from scientific experts on the latest spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) and African swine fever (ASF) globally. Experts also discussed ways the feed and poultry industries can plug gaps in biosecurity programs.
“It’s bad guys. I just don’t know how else I can say that,” said Dr. Louise Dufour-Zavala, executive director of the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network, about the current spread of HPAI in the U.S.
She said that the 2015 HPAI outbreak decreased during the summer months, but the 2022 virus continued to spread from farm-to-farm and is now mostly being spread from wildlife, including rodents, which may carry the virus on their feet.
More than 20 states were affected by the virus in 2015, the first time HPAI was detected in the U.S. In that year, the spread of the virus became the worst animal disease outbreak in U.S. history, said Dufour-Zavala. The country lost more than 50 million poultry at a cost of $1 billion.
“We have lost a lot of our wild bird populations due to this HPAI,” she said. The list of birds affected is increasing and numbers about 142 different species, including raptors, gulls, shore birds, geese, swans, ducks, crows, tree swallows, common grackles and dark eyed junco. Owls have also been affected because they prey on smaller weaker — and potentially infected — birds and animals.
There are also at least 12 species of mammals in the U.S. that have been infected with HPAI and dying from it. Dufour-Zavala said the red fox is the most affected animal. Black bears, coyote and grizzly bears are also being affected by the virus. Marine mammals have started to become affected, too.
The Colorado Sun reported in early February that the flu had spread to a black bear and a mountain lion, according to state wildlife officials. Colorado has been hit hard by the virus, with the loss of more than 6,246,000 chickens on commercial egg farms as of March 3, 2023. The state Department of Agriculture also estimates 12,000 gamebirds have been affected.
The best thing the agricultural community can do is reduce the number of HPAI cases in flocks and wildlife, so the risk of its spread diminishes. This can be done on farms and at feed mills by creating lines of separation for foot traffic, controlling visitors and animals and properly disposing of infected, depopulated birds.
Experts discuss African swine fever
Cassandra Jones, professor at Kansas State University, said that one of the challenges with the ASF virus is that it is extraordinarily stable and able to prevent itself from degradation in typical conditions.
Jones said the virus is “like the armored tank of all viruses we have to work with.”
ASF has currently not been detected in the U.S., but entered the Western hemisphere in 2021, and the feed and swine industries have been working to improve their biosecurity programs to guard against its entrance.
Officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Food and Drug Administration are also working to develop plans for how they would respond in the event of an outbreak. Jones said that there are still many questions that need to be answered. For example, if feed is found to be contaminated with ASF, then how should it be properly disposed of?
The AFIA’s Nutrition Committee shaped the agenda for the “Biosecurity: Preparedness Must Be Perpetual” program. Next year’s IPPE will take place Jan. 30 to Feb. 1, 2024.
About IPPE
The International Production & Processing Expo (IPPE) is a collaboration of three shows - International Feed Expo, International Meat Expo and the International Poultry Expo - representing the entire chain of protein production and processing. The event is sponsored by the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), North American Meat Institute (NAMI) and U.S. Poultry & Egg Association (USPOULTRY).
About AFIA
Founded in 1909, the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), based in Arlington, Va., is the world's largest organization devoted exclusively to representing the business, legislative and regulatory interests of the U.S. animal food industry and its suppliers. The organization's membership is comprised of more than 650 domestic and international companies that represent the total feed industry-manufacturers of commercial and integrated feed and pet food, ingredient suppliers, pharmaceutical companies, industry support and equipment manufacturers. AFIA members manufacture more than 75% of the feed and 70% of the non-grain ingredients used in the country. AFIA is also recognized as the leader on international industry developments and holds membership in the International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF).
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