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Iceland: Keeping bird flu at bay
The bird flu has been found in Sweden and the H5 virus
has been detected in Denmark. Is an outbreak of the H5N1 virus in Iceland
imminent?
“This is a big question,†says veterinarian Gunnar Örn Gudmundsson, from
the Agricultural Authority of Iceland. “We have the luck to live on an isolated
island in the north Atlantic. Our chicken farms are isolated and they have good
quality controls so that is going to help us. This is the most regulated food in
Iceland,†Gunnar Örn adds. "Water for the birds is treated with ultraviolet
light before it reaches the birds' mouths. “The water they drink is cleaner than
our water.â€
Currently, Icelandic standards are imported from
Norway, but they plan to adopt
hygiene rules of the European
Union
within a five-to-ten year period. The
vets inspecting Iceland's poultry farms are the country's first line of defence
against the
bird
flu. Before they're slaughtered, the chickens are tested four times for
salmonella
and Campylobacter.
Not only the birds, but their
housing is also thoroughly inspected. Holes even the size of a 1 Euro coin
are sealed to prevent mice from entering. While mice spread disease, wild birds are
a bigger worry. The migratory birds that reach Iceland's shores arrive from
as far away as Morocco, France and Spain; but the swans and geese flying north
from the UK present the gravest danger.
Not taking any chances, most poultry farmers have nets around the
ventilation stacks on the roofs to keep wild birds from entering the chicken
coops. So far, all shore birds tested have come back negative.
Editor WorldPoultry
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