In the view of many members of Canada’s poultry sector, ineffective leadership and a fragmented, top-down approach have led to what could be charitably described as less-than-ideal management of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). A new Canadian organisation is implementing a new leadership framework that stresses inclusive problem-solving, data transparency and more.
“Our historic approach has been opaque and quite ineffective, leading to widespread uncertainty and mistrust among stakeholders,” notes Dr Jeff Wilson, president of Novometrix Research and Special Graduate Faculty member at the Ontario Veterinary College at the University of Guelph.
“As a nation, our outbreak management has revealed fundamental deficiencies, including a serious lack of data transparency and the absence of adequate evaluation of potentially very effective interventions,” he said, adding, “We’ve heavily relied on test-and-slaughter protocols, and insufficient consideration has been given to alternative strategies such as natural immunity, biosecurity enhancements and critical evaluation of vaccine feasibility. Communication efforts have been unidirectional and vague, failing to meaningfully engage stakeholders in creative problem-solving.”
This is why, several years ago, Wilson and others have spearheaded the creation of a new coherent and inclusive national leadership structure for highly pathogenic avian influenza response, which they have named the National Poultry Network. However, beyond highly pathogenic avian influenza, in future the Network can also apply its strengths to more effectively address other pressing poultry sector issues, from antimicrobial resistance and animal welfare issues to international trade negotiations. What’s more, its approach can be used in other types of livestock farming and in any jurisdiction.
A siloed response to highly pathogenic avian influenza
Up to this point, Wilson explains that Canada’s response to highly pathogenic avian influenza has been very siloed. “Our national and provincial poultry associations, researchers and research organisations such as the Poultry Industry Council, animal welfare groups and government agencies have each been taking action to manage the disease, but each has its own priorities, biases and even terminology,” he reports.
“To get the full picture, we have conducted an in-depth analysis of the problems inherent in this framework using a structured, national stakeholder interview process and a review of published studies on highly pathogenic avian influenza response management,” he said.
Moving to a stakeholder-led, evidence-based response
Then, the team described the opposite: a stakeholder-led, evidence-based response model that unites all parties and the public using well-known frameworks already in global use in other areas (e.g., the Universal Quality Management System framework).
“Instead of an isolated ‘crisis management’ approach, we have developed a proactive, independent stakeholder coalition, representing a new paradigm for highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak governance, driven by transparency and evidence-based decision-making,” said Wilson, adding that its power lies in the inclusion of all stakeholders, enabling them to work together to create solutions that benefit everyone. Integrated networks are capable of providing virtually incalculable benefits.
“People are intuitively aware that this provides the best results, that more heads are better than one, that more ideas, more resources and more collaboration are best. We are showing that you can put this into action in a structured way. And we can all see by this point that on a global scale we will not manage outbreaks of any disease effectively without a coherent approach such as this,” said Wilson.
Papers and abstracts on the National Poultry Network framework have so far been accepted by the American Association of Avian Pathologists and the Western Poultry Disease Conference and published in the Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research.
Time for change
Harvey Sasaki, president of British Columbia-based Agri-Saki Consulting, is very interested in the National Poultry Network approach. In recent years, Sasaki served as the government-appointed chair of the BC Chicken Marketing Board. Before that, he served for 30 years in the British Columbia Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, including as assistant deputy minister.
Sasaki reminds us that in British Columbia, outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza began in early 2004. In October that year, the British Columbia government worked with federal government and industry to sponsor a “lessons learned” conference, at which practical, workable policies and initiatives were recommended and implemented.
However, Sasaki explains that very little has changed since then in terms of managing and responding to highly pathogenic avian influenza. “What was viewed in 2004 as a ‘once in a lifetime’ occurrence and subsequently modified in 2014 to a ‘once in a decade’ occurrence has now become an annual/biannual event,” he noted. “This increased frequency of the occurrence of outbreaks begs the question: can we afford to continue to do the same things or has the time has come to reevaluate and change how highly pathogenic avian influenza is managed and responded to?”
In his view, the answer is ‘no’. “Clearly the time has come for a revised action plan/strategy to address the future of managing highly pathogenic avian influenza in Canada,” he says. “Regulatory authorities must be willing to meaningfully engage the full range of stakeholders. Data and information gathered must be broadly available to enable opportunities for research and the development of more robust and innovative approaches.”
Meanwhile, the National Poultry Network is working on full industry buy-in and further investment from private partners is being sought in order to scale up. “Some in the industry still have concerns about losing autonomy or looking incompetent, and so they are a little hesitant to get involved, but they are in the minority,” said Wilson.
“There is always fear of change when a new paradigm is introduced. However, when people learn that we are focused on including everyone to generate ideas, to determine what’s not working and replace it with evidence-based solutions that actually work, they are very interested. It’s hard to say, but we believe we can get to full implementation within 3 years in Canada, while we hope adoption in other jurisdictions and other types of livestock farming will begin.”