Avian Influenza, Biosecurity and Organic Poultry Production

By Jane Morrigan, M.Sc.

Bird flu, otherwise known as avian influenza or A.I., has become a topic of concern for poultry farmers and human health officials around the world in recent months and years. Canada has not experienced the deadly H5N1 strain that has spread from Asia to Europe, however in 2004 British Columbia had a taste of it when it was faced with a highly pathogenic North American strain known as H7N3, which forced the slaughter of 17 million birds in a 70-kilometre area that covered Vancouver's eastern suburbs to Chilliwack in the eastern Fraser Valley. The outbreak and subsequent depopulation of laying hens, chickens and turkeys caused tremendous financial and emotional hardship for farmers who had no choice but to submit their flocks to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA)’s decision to control the spread of the disease by killing off flocks that were either directly infected or were located within a close vicinity of infected flocks. Organic and conventional producers were equally affected, and there were mixed reviews as to whether the government handled the outbreak properly. Issues such as financial compensation for affected farmers, relative risks associated with free-range versus confined flocks and the humaneness of methods used to euthanize flocks are still being discussed two years later.

Due to the spread of H5N1 in Europe, CFIA recently formed a new branch called the Office of Animal Biosecurity, and is currently in the process of increasing its efforts to prevent the introduction and spread of H5N1 in Canada. New biosecurity standards will ultimately be developed which will affect all poultry producers large and small, conventional and organic.

Many certified organic poultry farmers are asking for consideration of developing evidence that the cause of the H5N1 virus is the conventional system of intensive production and the spread has been through trading routes and not migratory routes of wild birds. The organic production system can be seen to represent a viable alternative for the egg and chicken industries, because it is attuned with consumers’ increasing demand for safe, excellent quality chemical-free food which also provides benefits to the animals in terms of their health and welfare. For instance, laying hens benefit from access to perches and dust-bathing materials when not confined to cages. They can then express important natural behaviours such as foraging and scratching, avoidance of aggressive birds and exploration of their surroundings indoors and outside during summer months. Thus, the issue of free-range versus confinement housing poses a specific example of the systemic differences between conventional and organic/free-range methods of production.

Potential for conflict exists with the assumption of some conventional producers that there are no problems with the status quo. The threat is seen as only coming from a foreign disease outbreak and from wild and free-range birds living close to their farms. On the other hand organic/free-range producers sometimes tend to form stereotypes about conventional producers not caring about the welfare of their birds, etc. Constructive evaluation of practices in both systems, and a meaningful dialogue between these two types of producers can overcome misconceptions and foster cooperation in preparing safeguards against the potential threat of an H5N1 outbreak in Canada.

In addition to differentiating between the issues faced by conventional and organic/free-range production systems, new biosecurity policy must also include flexible rules that are based on scientific evidence. For instance, there is growing scientific evidence that H5N1 spreads most efficiently in large flocks, and there is a low risk of transmission by wild birds and/or outdoor domestic flocks. CFIA found no HP strain in wild birds in Canada in the latest 2006 survey. More research is required in the ecology of AI viruses in wild birds, to clarify the issue of risk from wild birds. Loss of genetic diversity in domestic poultry is already raising questions related to this issue, and it is time that the importance of maintaining small diverse flocks is recognized.

Consultation, cooperation and partnership between CFIA and the poultry industry large and small, organic and conventional, is desirable in order to bring about a balanced, realistic and fair set of standards and protocols that farmers will support.

Jane Morrigan, M.Sc. is the Website Coordinator for the Organic Agriculture Centre of Canada (OACC), and a former dairy farmer from Pictou County, N.S. She welcomes your comments at (902) 893-7256 or oacc@nsac.ca.

Posted on the OACC website, November 2006

Longer version of this article, which includes a reading list and links to pertinent websites for further information about bird flu.