Yet another poultry farm in Wisconsin has been found to be infected with H5N2 avian influenza — the sixth in the state.
What happens after avian flu is detected in chicken and turkey flocks?
The method of depopulation depends on the facility, its construction, and the type of bird, so says Raechelle Cline with the state Ag Department. She explains, the turkey flocks are being “foamed” to death. “We put them into pens and then we pump in some foam that covers up to about five feet in height and it suffocate the birds. As for the chicken flocks, some are being euthanized with carbon dioxide, Cline says, in the “most humanely way possible.”
What happens to the dead birds? “The carcasses are actually composted on sight.”
That poultry cannot be used for food, even for animals.
Most farms affected by the bird flu will be up and running again in three to six months after cleaning and disinfection, according to the state veterinarian. Farmers will be compensated by the federal government for the value of their euthanized birds.
It’s hard to predict how the outbreak will affect the price we pay at the grocery store. Foreign trade partners have banned the import of Wisconsin poultry into their countries. Cline emphasizes poultry, eggs in the marketplace are safe to eat.
Governor Scott Walker this week has declared a state of emergency in Wisconsin as a result of the outbreak. Six flocks have become infected by H5N2 avian influenza in the past week — in Jefferson, Barron, Juneau, and Chippewa Counties. The latest detection of the flu came Thursday afternoon. DATCP reported a second case in a Barron County commercial turkey facility.
The H5 avian influenza virus was first detected in Wisconsin at a commercial chicken flock in Jefferson County on Monday, April 13. Avian influenza has been detected in a total of six farms in four counties with 1,288,856 birds affected. Those farms remain under quarantine.