The future of free-range chickens and eggs could be at risk if the threat of bird flu continues to loom over Jersey, a farmer has warned.
Bird-keepers across the Island have been told to follow advice from the States vet to move their poultry indoors, while they wait nervously for results of tests from 31 cases of suspected avian influenza found at a St Peter farm at the weekend.
Allan McCaffrey, owner of Happy Hens, said they always took extra precautions at his farm in Grouville as a matter of course, but this meant he must now keep his free-range hens indoors for their own protection.
‘It’s not what I want but we’re in limbo now until we find out the results,’ said Mr McCaffrey, whose business has not had any bird-flu cases. ‘When you start getting it on farms it’s getting serious. If you get it you’re wiped out.’ He added: ‘We’re doing everything we can and all the birds have been housed already. But my worry is how long this will go on. In the past the threat of bird flu has only been over the winter but if this continues free-range could be a thing of the past because of the risk involved for the hens.’
Following the suspected outbreak in St Peter, director of natural environment Willie Peggie said the 16 birds which died suddenly overnight and those examined the following day all showed ‘clear signs’ of bird flu, including swollen heads, and blue combs and wattles. The samples have been sent to a UK laboratory for testing and if they are positive mandatory restrictions will be enforced.
Mr McCaffrey, who has owned Happy Hens for ten years, has 8,000 Lohmann Brown birds who normally wander and scratch outdoors. They are currently being kept indoors in four separate houses, with plenty of room to move, feed and drink undercover.
He said he already has a number of bio-safety measures in place, such as disinfectant foot baths at the entrance and exit to each barn, changing wellies when moving between barns and all food and water being provided by the person who cares for the hens in each barn.
His hens produce up to 7,000 eggs a day, supplying customers in Jersey, including supermarkets, restaurants and cafés. He said that there was no risk to the eggs because a bird with an illness would not produce any.
The UK Health Security Agency confirmed that the risk to public health is low.
The advice from natural environment is to cook eggs and chicken properly to avoid any risk to humans.
Jersey’s deputy chief veterinary officer Caroline Terburgh wrote to all poultry owners earlier this week to recommend all birds be kept indoors to prevent them mixing with wild birds until the test results were known.
