An industry’s battle against deadly bird flu

Bird flu has been relentless in its march across the globe in the past 12 months, sparking fears that the virus has become too difficult to control. Indeed, now that the deadly H5N1 strain has surfaced in much of Europe, the poultry industry has been left counting the costs of mass culling, plummeting sales and job cuts. As a sector employing 500,000 people and with a turnover of €20 billion, any knock to consumer confidence is potentially devastating. So far, H5N1 has been discovered in 13 EU countries, while in France and Germany it has reached poultry flocks. Farmers and businesses within the industry have been on tenterhooks, fearful that the outbreak could sound the death knell for their operations. Despite reassurances from health chiefs that the virus cannot be contracted though eating properly cooked chicken and eggs, sales nosedived when the virus eventually reached Europe earlier this year. It appeared that shoppers were not listening to advice and poultry was off the menu with sales down by 70 percent in some countries. Since the initial wave of recorded cases, the market has recovered slightly but still remains vulnerable.

Once the virus hit the fringes of Europe, falling sales in poultry products snowballed. France, the largest poultry producer in Europe, reported that its industry lost €40 million a month after the first case was discovered in February. More than 40 countries also put restrictions or total bans on the importation of French chicken, fois gras and other products. France’s market was not the only to suffer, however. Italy saw sales plummet by 70 percent at one point – forcing the industry to lay off 30,000 workers. Meanwhile, German officials announced that its poultry sector had dropped by a fifth and lost €140 million since the end of last year. In Greece the market collapsed by half. As fear escalated amongst shoppers farmers in those countries hardest hit by falling sales were forced to offload cut-price supplies abroad and slash production. The forced price cuts was music to ears for those unfazed shoppers keen to snap up a bargain in the local supermarket.

Market slump

The fall in consumer confidence in poultry appeared to spread more wildly than bird flu itself. Markos Kyprianou, EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, believes that the dramatic slump in some member states was an over-reaction. “The fall in consumption of poultry meat was a phenomenon that has affected countries in different ways,” he says. “We witnessed particularly steep drops in some countries such as Greece and Italy even before they had reported a single case of avian flu in wild birds, which suggests that there was an element of exaggerated fear in the reaction of consumers.” Despite the slump, sales have slowly recovered as consumers have become more aware about the facts. “A number of countries have seen much smaller falls, and others have seen their markets hold relatively steady,” continues Kyprianou. “We are beginning to see a recovery in sales. The fact that avian flu is no longer dominating the headlines to the same extent may have something to do with this, but I hope that the message is also getting through that it is safe to consume poultry and eggs.”

Cees Vermeeren, Head of the Brussels office for the Association of Poultry Processors and Poultry Trade in the EU (AVEC) says that consumers have been left confused on the issue of bird flu and possible human contraction. “One can hardly predict consumer behaviour, but in retrospect we see that from the beginning and even today the animal disease avian influenza and the public health related to Influenza have been mixed up,” he suggests. “In communication the animal disease has been linked to the risk of a pandemic, although no expert knows for sure if, and eventually how, when and where a pandemic will occur. This has confused the consumer giving him an insecure feeling.” Vermeeren also argues that trust in governments plays an important part in shoppers’ decisions. “The level of consumers' trust in the authorities seems to be essential for the trust in the safety of the food which might be an explanation of the differences in consumers' reactions between countries.” And with the industry suffering, governments and health officials have worked to dispel rumours and myths surrounding humans contracting bird flu.

Cooking

Although bird flu has claimed the lives of almost 120 people worldwide, the circumstances of these deaths was unique. In Asia, where most of these fatalities occurred, the victims lived and worked in close proximity with infected birds. Rising death tolls in Asia could be one reason why European consumers avoided chickens and eggs when the virus arrived over here. But, the message is pretty clear-cut when it comes to catching bird flu from eating chicken and eggs – both should be properly cooked – although health experts are keen to point out that this has always applied to poultry meat and eggs.

In fact, the H5N1 strain is so sensitive to heat and normal cooking temperatures will eradicate it. Deidre Hutton, Chair of the UK’s Food Standards Agency, explains: “If you wish to eat poultry and eggs you should continue to do so, following the normal precautions of cooking thoroughly and by that we mean cooking until there are no red juices, or in the case of eggs, cooking until the white is hard. And that advice applies to cooking chickens generally, not just because of the possibility of avian flu.”

As well as thorough cooking, consumers need to aware of the risk of cross-contamination. Juices from raw poultry should never be allowed, during food preparation, to touch or mix with items eaten raw. And those people preparing the food should make sure they wash their hands with soap and water. In areas experiencing outbreaks in poultry, it is advised that raw eggs are not used in foods that will not be further heat-treated such as cooking or baking. To date, no human has become infected with avian flu through eating poultry, even when these foods were contaminated with the H5N1 virus, according the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Kyprianou has this message for those in the UK considering ditching poultry: “My advice is that there is no reason for people to change their consumption habits. European animal health legislation covers the whole food chain from the farm to the fork to prevent products from unhealthy animals entering the food chain, and the meat and eggs from any poultry farms affected by avian influenza are destroyed. In the unlikely event of meat or eggs from infected animals reaching supermarket shelves, food safety experts advise that proper cooking destroys the virus, so there is no risk from properly cooked chicken or eggs. The advice of the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control is that the risk of avian flu to the general public is low.”

In the zones

While consumer confidence in chickens and eggs is paramount for the health of the industry, government officials are of course also having to take steps to prevent the virus from reaching poultry flocks. Those nations with reported cases have culled or vaccinated domestic flocks, while exclusion zones have also been set up where dead infected birds have been discovered. Poultry flocks have been ordered indoors, giving a new meaning to the term free range. Production costs are more expensive for this type of poultry but the farmers know that they cannot afford for their poultry to mix with infected wild birds or the consequences could be devastating.

Kyprianou says these zones are working but that EU members should not relax. “Most of the additional cases of avian flu in wild birds have been within the surveillance zones established following an initial case, which suggests that these measures are necessary and the reinforced surveillance in these areas is producing results,” he explains. “Two of the three outbreaks of avian flu H5N1 in poultry farms have also been in these zones, which have helped to contain the outbreaks. But clearly the threat remains and the Commission has reminded all Member States of the importance of maintaining strict bio-security measures in place and remaining highly vigilant, especially in risk areas.”

Since the virus first emerged in the EU, many farms have been seeking compensation for lost business and the costs associated with keeping their operations protected. France and Italy have listened to the industry and pledged €163 million to their beleaguered farmers. Meanwhile, the EU Commission has agreed to underwrite half of a bill expected to run into millions to restore consumer faith in chicken and eggs. Vermeeren is of the opinion that because officials and politicians were responsible for informing consumers about the risks, then compensation is an urgent must. “Of course, official measures can help to protect the industry and it expects the competent authorities will take the appropriate and balanced measures. As the operators themselves are fully aware that it is of vital importance for its future to manage the risk of an avian influenza outbreak, they will take and have taken appropriate measures. To the present day the industry in many member states has suffered from the enormous drop of consumption, which has weakened the position of many operators. As this drop has everything to do with the way the officials and politicians have communicated on avian flu and the pandemic, the industry insists on compensation.”

UK market

In the UK, which produced 1.6 million tonnes of meat in 2004 – worth €360 million, the poultry industry has been relatively unharmed by the virus compared with mainland Europe. The deadly H5N1 strain has been confirmed in one dead swan discovered on the coast of Scotland. However, UK shoppers do not appear to be shunning chicken and eggs, despite plummeting sales in other markets. Tesco, Britain’s largest retailer, reported a five percent dip in poultry meat and egg sales following the discovery of the dead swan. But British egg producers celebrated cracking sales during the Easter period, with an estimated 150 million hens’ eggs consumed.

Peter Bradnock, Chief Executive of the British Poultry Council, says he believes the British public listens to advice being given. “British consumers have faith in the independence of the Food Standards Agency and the advice it gives to consumers. They know that bird flu is a disease of birds and is not a risk to the general population and it is not a food safety risk.” Bradnock says he expected European sales to be dented but not to the scale that was witnessed. “We were not surprised that was a fall in demand in those countries but the extent of the drop was remarkable. In most cases demand came back from the very low levels but still remains significantly down on normal level. In the UK almost all chicken is sold under retailers' own label, and British consumers rightly have trust in British supermarkets.”

One British farmer blames the media for stirring up panic amongst consumers. John Widdowson, VP of the 250-member British Free Range Egg Producers Association, is defiant when he says: “Obviously producers are concerned about something that could impact dramatically on their businesses but these concerns have to be kept in proportion to the risk. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the media who have been whipping-up quite ridiculous levels of hysteria. Ironically, the biggest threat to the poultry industry in general is not the actual disease but consumers turning their backs on poultry produce because of this media coverage.”

Mr Widdowson, who has 20,000 free range hens on his farm in Devon, England, adds: “In contrast, those in the poultry sector, armed with the facts, are in a position to take a more balanced view of the risks. When it comes to risk assessment, consumers should be more concerned about the dangers involved with journeying in their car to the supermarket rather than avoiding chicken and eggs.” Widdowson says he is deeply concerned for some farms. “For those producers caught up in it, the economic implications are huge including the potential of not being able to restock for many months. We are concerned about the low levels of compensation and for individual producers there is the very real threat that they would not be able to continue in production following an outbreak on their farm.”

In the UK 95 percent of poultry is reared indoors, but there are concerns being raised about the levels of compensation if widespread culling is ordered, together with the cost of cleaning and disinfecting farms. Since the discovery of the dead swan, three farms in Norfolk have reported the H7 form of the virus. Tens of thousands of birds have been culled and an exclusion zone set up. One poultry worker subsequently tested positive for the strain of the virus in the form of conjunctivitis. It is thought that a workman unwittingly brought faeces from an infected wild bird on his boot into a shed of poultry birds. This breach in biosecurity has been a wake-up call for the industry in Britain – worth €4.4 billion a year. Questions have been raised about the safety of farm workers and those employed in slaughter houses or poultry farms. Scientists know that humans can catch avian flu through close contact with infected birds, as has been the case for many human infections in Asia. Kyprianou says the risks are still low for those working or living with poultry. “People who keep poultry near where they live, or who come into regular contact with poultry or wild birds, need not be unduly alarmed but need to be aware of the risks. In particular, they should follow the instructions of local veterinary officials, notify any abnormal deaths among their birds or in wild birds, wash their hands thoroughly after contact with poultry, and discourage children from playing with sick or dead birds.”

The future

For the time being the spread of the spread of the virus does appear to have slowed down in the EU but only time will tell if poultry farms have done enough to protect their flocks. They have the measures in place to protect their livestock but know only too well that trying to stop infected wild birds from crossing international borders is an impossible task. The threat of bird flu is expected to hang over the industry for many years to come, warns Kyprianou. “It looks increasingly as though we will have to learn to live with periodic outbreaks of avian influenza in wild birds in the EU in future. We will have to be particularly vigilant around the times of the Winter and Spring migrations. The important thing for the public to remember is that we have very strict animal health legislation in place to guard against avian influenza and to control it if there are outbreaks in poultry, and these rules will continue to be strictly applied. I am confident that this message is getting across, and we are already witnessing a recovery in poultry markets in some countries which were particularly hard hit in recent months.”

And it seems that the message about chicken and eggs being safe to eat does seem to be getting through but the market still remains fragile. The public appear to be taking on board that they have little or no chance of contracting avian flu through their Sunder dinner. However, with supermarkets stocked with an abundance of optional meat products, consumers may still subconsciously avoid poultry. Bradnock, however, remains upbeat about the industry’s recovery. “I think that the more cases there are in domestic poultry throughout the EU and in other countries the more consumers and the general population will realise that this is a disease of birds which has no affect on the human health of the population or on the food safety of poultry products,” he concludes. “There is already evidence that consumers are already better informed on this subject than previously and I would expect them to continue to act in the knowledge that poultry meat is safe to eat.”

MAP OF BIRD FLU MOVEMENT ACROSS THE GLOBE

(Cases confirmed since December 2003)

Countries with recorded cases of bird flu Human Cases

Malaysia China
Burma Thailand
Japan Vietnam
India Indonesia
Laos Iraq
Pakistan Egypt
Kuwait Cambodia
Iran
Afghanistan
Mongolia
Kazakhstan
Russia
Nigeria
Cameroon
Niger
Burkina Faso
Israel
Gaza
Jordan

UK Turkey
France Azerbaijan
Switzerland
Slovenia
Italy
Croatia
Bosnia
Serbia and Montenegro
Greece
Bulgaria
Romania
Ukraine
Hungary
Slovakia
Poland
Sweden
Czech Republic
Denmark
Germany
Austria
Albania

***** CHART *******

Human cases of bird flu (As of April 21)

COUNTRY CASES DEATHS

Azerbaijan 8 5
Cambodia 6 6
China 17 12
Egypt 12 4
Indonesia 32 24
Iraq 2 2
Thailand 22 14
Turkey 12 4
Vietnam 93 42
Total 204 113

Source: World Health Organization

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What to look out for if you suspect a bird has avian influenza

• Sudden death.
• Marked loss of appetite, reduced feed consumption.
• Cessation of normal flock vocalisation.
• Drops in egg production.
• Swollen face.
• Coughing.
• Nasal and ocular discharge.
• Diarrhoea (often green).
• Nervous signs such as paralysis.

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FAST FACTS
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The EU produces 11 million tonnes of poultry meat a year, with exports of one million tonnes.

Turkey, the gateway from Asia to Europe, has been particularly affected. Officials there have confirmed four human deaths and 12 people suffering from H5N1 – the deadliest strain of the virus.

Poultry sales collapsed by 70 percent in some EU states after bird flu was discovered in the region.

Around 200 million chickens have been culled or died of the disease worldwide since the onset of the crisis in 2003.

In the UK 85 percent of breeding farms house fewer than 25 animals, but 200 farms account for about 95 percent of total production.