Poultry farmers in chicken flu ‘panic’ name for UK vaccination plan

Poultry farmers are interesting to the federal government to allow them to vaccinate their flocks in opposition to the “devastating” chicken flu virus spreading throughout the UK.

Vaccinating poultry in opposition to avian influenza is at the moment not allowed within the UK. The federal government says that sturdy biosecurity measures and culling are the best methods of combating it. In the meantime, there are considerations that poultry vaccinations could be linked to the virus evolving.

General ranges of the virus haven’t but reached the height of current years.

However one farmer, who has beforehand misplaced 30% of his flock due to chicken flu, informed the PJDM that, with no vaccine, it was solely a matter of time earlier than “all of it kicks off once more”.

A chicken flu prevention zone implementing strict hygiene requirements round domesticated birds has been declared for England, Wales and Scotland amid a rising variety of circumstances of extremely pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

The danger to people stays low, with rooster and eggs suitable for eating if correctly cooked, in response to the Division for Atmosphere, Meals and Rural Affairs (Defra).

Defra has arrange a cross-government and poultry trade taskforce that’s wanting on the potential use of vaccines, and is because of publish its report later this yr. However poultry farmers say issues are transferring too slowly.

Essex turkey farmer Paul Kelly, whose enterprise was hit laborious within the worst avian flu outbreak from 2021 to 2023, informed the PJDM that “the foot has been taken off the gasoline” on the subject of making poultry vaccines accessible to UK farmers.

“That is poor planning as we must be prepared for one more big outbreak versus reacting to a different outbreak and being behind the curve on rolling out vaccination,” he mentioned.

“Avian influenza is so extremely pathogenic that if a farmer will get it [in his flock][ it is devastating.”

There have so far been 25 farm outbreaks of bird flu since the annual winter recording season began in October.

In comparison, between October 2021 and January 2022, during the UK’s worst outbreak, there had been more than 70 cases in poultry or other captive birds.

But Gary Ford, of the British Free Range Egg Producers Association, said that there was still “panic, concern and fear out there” among farmers over the virus spreading.

He added that the organisation was a “huge supporter” of vaccination for poultry but recognised there were challenges, including the cost to farmers and the impact on trade with other countries that prohibit imports from producers that vaccinate.

Meanwhile, there are also some scientific concerns about bird flu vaccinations.

Recent work by researchers from the UK’s Royal Veterinary College and institutions in China found possible evidence that they may be linked to changes in how the virus evolves.

They carried out genetic analysis of avian flu samples collected from wild birds and farmed poultry between 1996 and 2023.

While they found that infections occurred more often in unvaccinated birds, they also found that in countries with high vaccination rates, there was a higher rate of change in the virus itself.

They said such evolution could, in theory, lead to vaccines needing to be updated frequently to remain effective and to the virus spilling over into unvaccinated populations. They acknowledged that more research was needed to establish whether there was a direct causal link between vaccination and virus evolution.

Earlier this week, the government agency that deals with infectious diseases, UKHSA, confirmed a case of the H5N1 avian influenza virus in a farm worker in the West Midlands region.

It said bird-to-human transmission of avian influenza was rare and that the risk to the wider public continues to be very low.

Farmers in Shropshire, North Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, City of Kingston Upon Hull, Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Suffolk have to keep their birds caged under mandatory housing rules put in place to manage the spread.

Biosecurity restrictions are also in place across England, Wales and Scotland as part of an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone.

The National Farmers’ Union said it was “essential that Defra refocuses efforts” on coming up with a workable avian influenza vaccination plan for the UK.

The government currently only allows licensed zoos to vaccinate captive birds against HPAI.

It said it would continue to invest in research and that any future decisions on the use of emergency or preventive vaccination would be based on the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice.