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Spring brings renewed call for poultry biosecurity

The director of commodity programs and food systems with the Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB) says the spring migration is bringing a renewed call for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) awareness.

Tasha Bunting tells Brownfield, “Spring is a time when we start to see a little more activity within HPAI.”  She says, “And one of the important things that we want to help share, and especially to our backyard producers, is what they can do to improve their biosecurity.”

She says limiting flock contact with wild birds is key.

Separate maybe some feeding and watering areas from wildfowl, helping them just better protect their flock,” she says.

Bunting says state departments of agriculture and university extension services offer numerous other biosecurity tips for poultry producers. 

The last reported HPAI detection in Illinois was March 6^th, however in the last 30 days, the USDA has confirmed HPAI in 39 flocks affecting 1.35 million birds in 10 states.

AUDIO: Tasha Bunting – Illinois Farm Bureau