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I.R.D.A.
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| FAO
Report |
"Unfortunately, H5N1 may have slipped
off the radar screen for some people but it continues to be a major
problem, especially in Egypt and parts of Asia, where it is having a
huge impact on food security and the livelihoods of farmers and local
communities," said Juan Lubroth, FAO's Chief Veterinary Officer.
H5N1 HPAI has not been restricted to Asia alone, he added, having also
occurred in Europe, Central Asia and parts of Africa.
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Notice
from Defra
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There
is an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) of subtype
H5N1 in poultry in Romania. The outbreak is in a backyard flock in an
area close to the Ukraine border on the delta of the River Danube. Defra
has published a preliminary outbreak assessment for this incident, which
can be accessed here.here.This is the first
outbreak of HPAI H5N1 in domestic poultry in the EU since October 2008.
According to the EU trade notification system (TRACES) there have been
no recent consignments of live poultry, captive birds or hatching eggs
from Romania to the UK. We currently consider that there is a negligible
risk of introducing HPAI H5N1 virus into the
UK via legal imports from Romania. This incident does not change the
overall risk rating for the UK: i.e. that there is a constant low
risk of the introduction of avian
influenza into the UK via wild birds. We continue to emphasize that bird
keepers should maintain vigilance for any clinical signs of disease in
their birds, promptly report any suspected cases to their private vet or
their local
Animal Health office and
maintain appropriate levels of biosecurity. More information on avian
influenza
is available on our website. |
 |
BIRD
WELFARE STRATEGY - CONSULTATION DOCUMENT is at www.birdwelfarestrategy.org.uk
(click for link)
The welfare discussion document, Avian Strategy For Hobbyist
Livestock and Pet Birds, has been eight months in the making.
It was put together by the National Committee for Bird Strategy, a
group of eight specialist societies: the British Waterfowl
Association, Hawk Board, National Council for Aviculture, National
Pigeon Association of Great Britain, Parrot Society
UK
, Pet Care Trust, PCGB and World Pheasant Association.
In
its final form it will become England's Health and Welfare Strategy for
Birds - the basis for
official best-practice guidelines to be followed by fanciers.
|
 |
Small
Holder:
sponsors of the Bird Welfare Strategy Group
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The
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,
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www.smallholderfeed.co.uk
|
The
draft strategy has four main aims:
. To
bring all hobbyist birdkeepers together and develop a national
strategy program under one umbrella;
. To
maintain participation in birdkeeping;
. To
raise birdkeeping skills, training and standards; and
. To
improve the quality and breeding of birds under hobbyist control.
The
document also reviews issues such as medicine needs, bird welfare
standards, health surveillance arrangements and companion bird
research.
RSPB
urges farmers to help birds survive icy blast
- press release Jan/Feb 2010
For
further information on feeding garden birds please visit the RSPB’s website www.rspb.org.uk
Article
Points to Human and Animal Welfare Costs of Long- Distance Farm Animal Transport
Press
release (Oct. 26, 2009) - A chapter in the upcoming book Handbook of Disease
Outbreaks: Prevention, Detection and Control implicates the long-distance
transport of farm animals in the spread of human and animal diseases.The
chapter, “Disease and transport: a costly ticket around the world,” was
co-authored by Michael Greger, M.D., Humane
Society International’s director of public health and animal agriculture,
along with Sofia Parente, Michael Appleby and Jennifer Lanier of The World
Society for the Protection of Animals. It examines
the animal and human health implications of transporting animals over long
distances and explores measures to limit long-distance transport of animals for
slaughter.
The
paper concludes that replacement of long-distance, live farm animal transport
with a carcass-only trade is “not only necessary but urgent.”
Facts
 | More
than 60 billion animals are reared for meat, eggs and milk annually
worldwide. Most are transported for slaughter, often over long distances,
both within and between countries.
| According
to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,
“[t]ransport of livestock is undoubtedly the most stressful and injurious
stage in the chain of operations between farm and slaughterhouse.”
| The
FAO describes live animal transport as “ideally
suited for spreading disease.”
| Given
the associated “serious animal and public health problems,” the
Federation of Veterinarians of Europe has called for the replacement of the
long-distance transportation of live animals for slaughter as much as
possible by a carcass-only trade. |
| | |
Media
Contact: Kristen Eastman, 301-721-6440, keastman@humanesociety.org
See also http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/force_fed_animals/
Campaign for a Universal Declaration on
Animal Welfare (UDAW)
Help inspire world leaders to make animals matter!
One reason animals are so vulnerable to cruelty is because
there is no universal agreement between nations that animals can suffer and feel
pain. Please add your voice now. Visit http://www.animalsmatter.org/
Site managed by the World Society For the Protection of Animals - WSPA
See Professor Marion Stamp Dawkins, Professor of Animal Behaviour of
Oxford University, research into commercial duck welfare
Full article on the Poultry Site.
"So how did the ducks rank a shower (more hygienic and economical) against
actual bathing in a pond? Pretty highly, it turned out. Their health was good
and they spend even more time with showers than with the ponds when given the
choice. We found no evidence of them being deprived of anything if they just had
showers. On the contrary, showers were, from their point of view and ours, a
very good substitute."
Duvets:
a nightmare for geese - see
the WSPA website
A
shocking documentary series has revealed that many duvets are stuffed with down
plucked from live geese, a practice that causes acute suffering. WSPA is
extremely disturbed by this fresh evidence about the global down industry. The first programme, shown on Swedish television channel TV4 on 1
February, revealed that millions of birds are plucked alive
every year in
Europe
alone. The
figure is even higher in China, the world’s largest producer of down and other feathers. China
exports to a number of European countries where the down is used in duvets,
pillows and jackets.Regardless
of the origin of the feathers, the consequences for the geese are clear: they
are tormented and badly stressed during the plucking process. WSPA is strongly
opposed to the plucking of live birds
The footage – which is extremely distressing – can be viewed on the TV4
website
Clip of duck flock http://www.boreme.com/boreme/funny-2008/marching-indian-ducks-p1.php
Pressure from Four Paws halts fattened
goose production in Hungary
http://www.thepoultrysite.com/poultrynews/15819/hungerit-stops-goose-liver-enterprise
HUNGARY
- Hungerit, one of the country's biggest poultry companies, has halted
production of fattened goose products under pressure from Austrian animal rights
organisation, Four Paws
"During the 2 weeks of force-feeding the animals become
ill. The death rate in this period is 20 times higher than conventional
duck meat production factories (source: EC commission). They die of heart
attacks, internal bleeding or asphyxia. Also they suffer from injuries, getting
cut on their beaks, wings and faces. Most of them see the world through pus
covered, infected eyes, caused by the ammonia (NH3) gases that are emitted by
the liquid manure under their cages. At the end of this life span the halls are
dead silent. The animals can't move and can hardly breathe – because of their
pathologically enlarged liver . They desperately try to get some oxygen by
shallow breathing through their open beaks. Each movement or pressure can cause
death now." http://www.fourpaws.org.uk/website/output.php?id=1175&idcontent=1542&language=1
Chief Veterinary Officers from across the world are
backing the move towards a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare which is
supported by the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and is being
recognised by a growing number of government authorities and international
organisations.
Members of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) gave overwhelming
backing to the initiative at their annual meeting in Paris on Friday 25 May. The
WSPA-supported initiative for a Universal
Declaration for Animal Welfare working with HSI, RSPCA, CIWF, IFAW and the ASPCA
to be adopted by the UN is currently gaining momentum around the world:
• A global petition is close to achieving 500,000 signatures from members of
the public all over the world
• Government authorities in Kenya, India, the Philippines, Costa Rica and the
Czech Republic are officially backing the Declaration
To find out more about the Universal Declaration for Animal Welfare visit
the Animals Matter website http://www.animalsmatter.org/
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