The Scottish Government

Biosecurity Advice for all Poultry Keepers - Annex E of the Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease Contingency Plan

ANNEX E(i)

Contents

Key Information

Clinical Signs

Stopping the spread of poultry diseases

Look for early signs of disease

Keep flocks separate

Clean and then disinfect

Keep yourself clean

Keep your farm secure

Keep unnecessary vehicles away

Avoid visiting other farms / poultry premises

It is recognised that the major organisations within the Poultry industry have made significant progress towards achieving and maintaining consistently high standards of biosecurity. The number of large extensive free range units in Scotland necessitates a heightened awareness towards maintaining high standards of biosecurity. The following guidance is intended to raise the general awareness towards biosecurity for ALL keepers of poultry.

In the event of an outbreak of HPAI or ND anywhere in Great Britain, the following information will be widely distributed by the Scottish Executive as well as being displayed on the Scottish Executive's website. The Scottish Executive published in 2002 a generic Biosecurity Code detailing measures to be taken as a matter of routine to guard against HPAI or ND. For details of this, as well as advice for use during an outbreak, see the Biosecurity website, which will be regularly updated ( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Agriculture/animal-welfare/Diseases/GenControls/15721 ).

If you suspect that your flock(s) has avian influenza or Newcastle disease, isolate and stop all movement of poultry, hatching eggs equipment and personnel. Contact your local Animal Health Office immediately:

Ayr Tel: 01292 268525

Galashiels Tel: 01896 758806

Perth Tel: 01738 602211

Inverurie Tel: 01467 626300

Inverness Tel: 01463 253098

( http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Agriculture/animal-welfare/Diseases/GenControls/15721/2983 ).

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Key Information

Avian influenza is a highly contagious viral disease affecting the respiratory, digestive and/or nervous systems.

Newcastle Disease is a highly contagious disease caused by a para-myxo virus.

Birds affected by these diseases include fowls, turkeys, geese, ducks, pheasants, guinea fowl and other wild and captive birds including ratites such as ostriches, emus and rhea.

Disease can be spread by:

• Movement of poultry, people, vehicles and equipment between and within poultry premises
• Introduction of birds of low or unknown health status
• Contact with neighbours' flocks
• Using shared farm equipment and vehicles which have not been effectively cleansed and disinfected
• Contact with vermin and wild birds
• Birds drinking from contaminated water sources
• Birds eating contaminated feed

• Unsatisfactory cleaning and disinfection of vehicles, sheds, feeding troughs and other equipment.

Clinical signs

Quickly recognising clinical signs of HPAI or ND in affected birds is vital to controlling the disease and preventing it from spreading.

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Stopping the spread of poultry diseases

Stringent biosecurity measures can help to avoid disease occurring or spreading to other poultry, birds or animals. It is important to apply the biosecurity precautions that suit your premises.

Look for early signs of disease

Be vigilant for any signs of disease. If you suspect Avian Influenza or Newcastle Disease contact your local Animal Health Division Office immediately. Isolate and stop all movement of poultry and hatching eggs.

Keep flocks separate

• Keep new incoming birds isolated from the rest of the established flock. Discuss with your vet and agree a testing and monitoring programme.
• Use separate equipment and staff or handle isolated birds last.
• Keep isolation buildings as near as possible to the farm entrance and separate from other poultry buildings. Ensure buildings are in good repair and actively prevent vermin from getting in and spreading any disease.

Clean and then disinfect

• Only disinfectants approved by Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD) should be used. Further details are available from: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation/scotland/ssi2006/20060352.htm
  Specified dilution rates and label recommendations must be strictly adhered to. Further advice is available from the local Animal Health Office.
• Clean and then disinfect all vehicles after each journey. If possible, do not use the same vehicles for transporting birds, feed, manure or other wastes.
• Regularly clean and then disinfect all crates, containers and other equipment before and after use. Do not move any equipment into different poultry buildings without cleaning and then disinfecting it first. This also applies to injecting and dosing equipment.
• At depopulation at the end of a cycle, thoroughly clean the building and all equipment, including ducting, drains and fans. Remove all surplus feed, dead birds and litter. Disinfect the premises and all equipment and carry out rodent and other pest control. Cleaning equipment and protective clothing should also be cleaned and then disinfected.
• All vehicles and trailers must be cleaned and then disinfected before entering and leaving poultry premises. Firstly, use water to wash off all mud before applying disinfectant. If the vehicle is dirty, disinfectant will not kill the virus. Ensure that hard to reach areas, for example, the wheels and wheel arches are properly cleaned.
• Make sure the inside of the vehicle is cleaned as well, including the foot wells, pedals and mats. Clean all areas used for carrying other things such as feed, bedding or equipment.

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Keep yourself clean

• Don't bring infection onto your farm, or spread it around your farm, on your clothes, footwear or hands. Clean overalls and footwear must be worn when entering poultry premises. After handling birds all protective clothing and footwear should be removed and either cleansed and disinfected, laundered or disposed of. Wash hands with soap and water.
• If all your poultry are at one location, keep a set of clothing or overalls to wear when working with them. If your poultry are at several locations, keep separate clothing/overalls for each group.
• Remove any mud or dung from footwear before applying approved disinfectant. Ensure that disinfectant footbaths are kept clean and that disinfectant is changed regularly. Keep footbaths covered so that rain does not dilute the disinfectant.

Keep your farm secure

• Provide cleaning and disinfectant materials (brush, hose, water, disinfectant and, if possible a pressure washer) for all business visitors/workers on arrival and departure and have protective clothing/footwear/disposable gloves available for on-farm use.
• Display notices directing callers to the farmhouse or office first.
• Strictly limit and control access to poultry flocks. If possible the site should be fenced with a controlled entry point.
• Keep farm access routes, parking areas, yards, areas around buildings and storage areas clean and tidy and well maintained.
• Minimise contact between poultry and wild birds. Prevent accumulation of standing water and remove spilled feed that could attract wild birds. Maintain buildings to ensure that wild birds do not nest or roost in them.
• Keep wild birds, dogs, cats, rodents or other livestock out of poultry buildings and feed stores.
• Be vigilant for evidence of vermin. Have an active rodent and pest control system in place.
• Supply only clean fresh drinking water to birds. Water lines and drinkers must be flushed through and cleaned regularly. In the case of free-range birds restrict access to possible sources of standing water used by wild birds.
• Feed bins, hoppers and feeding equipment must be cleaned and maintained regularly. Feed silos and containers must be sealed to prevent animals and wild birds contaminating feed.
• Damaged eggs, dead birds, litter and manure may carry disease. Dispose of them promptly and properly.

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Keep unnecessary vehicles away

• Visitors and their vehicles should be limited and as far as possible kept away from poultry buildings and pastures.
• Encourage visitors to park at a safe point outside the poultry premises' entrance. Have a disinfecting point at the poultry premises' entrance/exit points for visitors to disinfect footwear and equipment. If a vehicle has to come onto your poultry premises the vehicle must be thoroughly cleaned and then disinfected and, if possible, parked away from poultry buildings.

Avoid visiting other farms/poultry premises

• Follow cleaning and disinfecting advice when visiting other poultry premises. Business visitors and contractors should follow all these precautions.
• No clothing or footwear that has been in contact with poultry on one farm should be worn within another farm's poultry premises. If you can, wear boots and clothing supplied. Your dog could be carrying infective material on its fur or feet, so it is best left at home.

If you ahve any questions or concerns, contact your local Animal Health Office. An on-call 24 hour serive is provided for emergencies.

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ANNEX E(ii)

Contents

Separating flocks from wild birds

Protecting your birds

What does the law require?

Ways to protect your birds

Housing

Feeding and watering indoors

Additional deterrents

Pheasants, partridges and other game birds

Geese

Pinioned captive wildfowl

Backyard flocks

Welfare

Will I need planning permission to erect a structure?

Help and advice

SEPARATING FLOCKS FROM WILD BIRDS

One of the main ways in which the disease can be spread is by contact between infected wild birds and domestic poultry. That is why, if the disease is found in this country, you may be required by law to house your birds indoors or otherwise isolate them from wild birds. This is for the protection of your own flock and others.

If housing is not fully practicable, you will be required to take all reasonable steps to minimise contact between your birds and wild birds. You must also ensure that your birds do not have any contact with poultry or captive birds on other holdings.

These are important disease control requirements. In the event of an outbreak, if you cannot meet them, you may have to reduce stock numbers through culling.

This leaflet therefore helps you find practical ways to meet your legal obligations. You should read it if you keep poultry for commercial or hobby purposes; if you keep ducks or geese; if you keep other captive birds including raptors, and if you are involved in rearing game birds.

Please bear in mind that failure to comply with disease control requirements could lead the relevant enforcement authority to bring action against you.

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Protecting your birds

As a keeper of birds, you are responsible for their welfare both now and during an outbreak. The Government has already asked keepers of birds to feed and water birds indoors and to remain vigilant for disease risks.

What does the law require?

If there is an outbreak of an avian notifiable disease, all birds within at least 3km of the infected holding are immediately required to be housed or otherwise kept separate from wild birds while the outbreak is brought under control. The requirement could remain in force for several weeks.

Even if you are not in the vicinity of an outbreak, the Government may issue a temporary nationwide legal order for birds to be housed indoors as far as is practicable if Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) is found. It might also do so as a preventive measure if there is a significant risk of an outbreak. The order will be issued to prevent spread of the disease while the source of the virus is identified and immediate action is taken to control the outbreak.

A requirement to keep your birds separate from wild birds will also apply to free range and organic producers. Under current legislation - except for free-range egg producers - this may mean that your produce cannot be marketed as free-range or organic. However, the UK Government and industry representatives are seeking a rapid resolution of this issue at EU level and will keep you informed of progress.

Ways to protect your birds

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza can be spread through faecal droppings from infected birds. Control of the disease depends on minimising contact between potentially infected wild birds and managed birds. Housing your birds indoors is the best way to achieve this. For most keepers, a little prior planning should make it easier to comply with the housing requirement.

If you are unable to house all your birds indoors, the aim should be to minimise the chance of wild birds landing close to your birds, mingling with them and contaminating their water and feed supply.

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Housing

The first and best option is to house your birds and all practicable steps should be taken to ensure that this happens. If your birds are normally housed indoors this should not present major problems.

Keep your birds inside their existing houses. Ensure that any openings are netted to prevent wild birds gaining access. 25 mm aperture net is recommended to keep out small birds.

If your birds have access outside you will have to plan alternative housing. There are different housing options which can be considered including:

Making use of existing buildings (such as barns, sheds, outbuildings) adapted for your birds. Ensure that any openings are netted to prevent wild birds gaining access.

Erecting a lean-to veranda on the side of existing houses.

Erecting a new temporary structure to house birds. This may be a building with solid walls and roof or a polytunnel. A polytunnel will be suitable only in cooler weather.

If after considering these options they do not prove to be practical, other steps you should take include:

Erecting a net structure/shade house and ensuring that the netting used is of a suitable size to keep out small birds; 25 mm aperture is recommended.

Constructing temporary outdoor pens using straw bales and a tarpaulin roof with bird-proof netted gaps for light and ventilation.

If bad weather is likely to be a problem it may be necessary to erect a windbreak around your bird-proof structure.

We recommend that you refer to commercial suppliers of anti-bird netting for advice and further information on equipment.

Feeding and watering indoors

There are certain species of bird - such as ostrich, captive wildfowl or geese which are not normally housed during day or night - for which even the minimum housing steps outlined above may not be practicable. The very minimum action you should take is to isolate their food and water from wild birds. Availability of feed and water will attract wild birds; by only feeding and watering your birds inside, the possibility of mingling is reduced. The steps you can take include:

Provide extra protection to feed and water stations to avoid attracting wild birds.

Rotate feeding times. Many wild birds learn when captive birds are fed and congregate at these times.

Prevent your birds from accessing open water that may be contaminated. Ensure that your birds receive only mains or treated water.

Install bird-scarer systems to scare off wild birds. Types of scarer include auditory and visual scarers and deterrents. Most auditory scarers are designed to scare away all birds so may not be suitable for nervous birds and should be used with care - advice should be sought from the State Veterinary Service.

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Additional Deterrents

In all cases you should also consider making use of wild bird deterrents such as flutter tape, flashing lights, scarecrows and auditory scarers.

Agricultural bird scarers are not suitable for domestic circumstances and must always be used responsibly, within the relevant legal controls.

When designing any housing structure, if posts are necessary, think about incorporating spike strips to deter perching.

Pheasants, partridges and other game birds

Birds should be housed whenever possible and as a minimum all feeding should take place under cover. However, where game birds are being raised for release it may be that these measures cannot be properly put in place. Bird scarer systems may need to be adopted. If the disease risk is high, careful consideration may have to be given to culling birds. Specialist advice is available from representative organisations and the State Veterinary Service.

Geese

Where small numbers of birds are kept it should be possible to house them in the event of a disease outbreak. Temporary netted structures, feeding and watering under cover and using wild bird deterrents will reduce their mingling with wild birds, and can cover large areas. Where large numbers of birds are kept it may not be possible to bring them all indoors and you should consider all of the alternative methods described in this leaflet.

Pinioned captive wildfowl

Where possible birds should be housed and as a minimum all feeding and watering should take place under cover. Separation of your birds from wild birds by netting their enclosures and the sensible use of deterrents will reduce their mingling with wild birds. You should consider moving your birds away from large bodies of water that attract similar species of wild birds.

Backyard flocks

In addition to the measures described here, give careful consideration to alternative measures to prevent your birds from mingling with wild birds. For example, if you keep your birds in a domestic location consider if alternative housing is available to them nearby. Suitable options may include a garden building, a garage or existing redundant buildings that could be adapted to house your birds temporarily.

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Welfare

Housing for a sustained period birds that are not used to being housed may create welfare and behavioural problems. You should be vigilant for e.g. feather pecking and cannibalism.

Overcrowding may become a problem and you must take steps to ensure that the stocking density within each house will not reach the point at which bird welfare is compromised - a particular risk in hot weather or cold wet weather.

For chickens and turkeys being reared for consumption, you should consider reducing their growth rate to prevent over-crowding. However you should seek expert advice before doing so as these measures may themselves cause welfare problems.

You should provide fresh litter in all temporary accommodation and ensure adequate feed and water, ventilation and lighting is available. You should give consideration to some form of environmental enrichment, such as the use of straw bales.

Always ensure that your birds have clean water - do not use standing water that may have become contaminated by wild birds.

To ensure you pick up problems before they lead to deterioration of bird welfare you should increase supervision by stockmen, for example by increasing their number or the frequency of inspections.

Will I need planning permission to erect a structure?

Planning permission is not always required if the work does not involve building, engineering or similar operations. Permitted Development Rights exist for erecting structures in certain circumstances. Simple structures such as posts and netting might not require permission. It is unlikely, for example, that you would need planning permission if the structure is temporary, mobile, or used for the purposes of agriculture.

However, regulations will differ between commercial and hobby poultry keepers. It is always advisable in the first instance to check with your local council who will be able to advise you.

Help and Advice

Effective biosecurity is a primary concern even before any instruction to house birds is issued. Visit http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Home for general biosecurity advice and to order further copies of this leaflet; alternatively call the Helpline on 08459 335577.

Look out for signs of disease in your flock. Increased mortality, falling egg production and respiratory distress may be early signs of a disease problem. If you suspect disease, ask your vet for advice as soon as possible. Avian Influenza and Newcastle Disease are notifiable diseases. You must tell the Divisional Veterinary Manager (DVM) at the local Animal Health Divisional Office if you suspect these diseases.

Information is also available on the following sites:

www.countryside.wales.gov.uk

www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Agriculture/animal-welfare/Diseases/SpecificDisease/AvianInfluenza/AIIntroduction

www.dardni.gov.uk

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