Avian flu response draw praise from industry

The federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has reported no more cases of avian influenza since Friday’s detection of a strain at a Foster Farms turkey ranch near Waterford.

“At this point, we’re aware of nothing else, but we want to be sure,” said Steve Lyle, director of public affairs for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Detection of the disease – a strain that is harmful to birds but not people – prompted federal and state regulators to increase surveillance of poultry ranches, live bird markets and migratory birds.

The prompt quarantine of a Foster Farms turkey ranch shows that safeguards against avian influenza are working, industry and government officials stressed Monday.

The Foster Farms flock – estimated at 200,000 by Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation in Modesto – was to be put to death in keeping with the protocol for dealing with an outbreak of the disease.

That flock accounts for about 9 percent of the 2.24 million turkeys produced in Stanislaus County in 2013, according to the county agricultural commissioner. Merced County averaged 2.65 million, and San Joaquin County had about a fifth of that.

Foster Farms declined an interview request Monday.

In a written statement Saturday, it said the infected turkeys were found through “an ongoing early-detection program for avian influenza” that has been in place since 2000. It repeated the federal agency’s assurance that there is “no public health concern.”

The exact location of the infected flock was not disclosed. The birds will not enter the food market.

The National Turkey Federation, based in Washington, D.C., said the actions taken by the agencies and Foster Farms were proper.

“This is something that we have been prepared for and aware of,” said Keith Williams, vice president for communications and marketing. “All of the procedures have been followed.”

The federal agency said the detected strain is the same as has been found in wild birds migrating from Alaska and Canada this winter.

Foster Farms was the first commercial operation in the United States to be affected. The strain also has been found in backyard poultry flocks in Butte County, Oregon, Washington and Idaho.

“This has been monitored in the Pacific Flyway and will continue to be monitored,” Williams said.

The turkey industry has some free-range ranches, but the vast majority of birds live in sealed buildings to protect them against influenza and other diseases. Foster Farms noted that it limits access, sanitizes the sites and takes other actions to keep the turkeys healthy.

The company employs about 1,300 people in turkey processing in Turlock. About 10,000 more work in chicken operations in Livingston, Fresno and several other sites in the West and South. The chicken ranches have similar disease protections.

The response to Friday’s detection drew praise from Lisa Wallenda Picard, vice president of scientific and regulatory affairs for the turkey industry group. In a news release, she said it “underscores why consumers can be secure in the fundamental safety of the food supply and continue to enjoy turkey.”

This story was originally published January 26, 2015 at 7:32 PM with the headline "Avian flu response draw praise from industry."