The Minister of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries, fernando mattosspoke about the case of the death of 70 chickens by bird flu and specified that it is not yet possible to measure the losses and that they are trying to prevent the disease from entering the farms because it would be harmful to the producer and everything Uruguay.
“Influenza is an exotic disease and there is no cure, it is a high risk for the health of animals. The legal provision that the Ministry has is of the stamping outall animals that have had contact with diseased species must be sacrificed,” remarked Minister Fernando Mattos.
On the other hand, the portfolio leader remarked that it is difficult to measure the economic losses caused by avian flu and that is why they are trying by all means disease does not spread to breeding sites. “We are taking all the measures so that this is not verified in hatcheries, there it would be a very strong impact,” the minister explained.
According to the minister, this would imply not only a great loss for the producer but also for the country. “If there is a sick bird in a house of thousands, you have to eliminate the thousands that are in contact. Once it enters the hatchery, you have to apply stamping out to the entire house. All of this would be a huge loss for the producer and country,” he concluded.
What measures did the MGAP take for avian flu?
In mid-February, the MGAP declared a health emergency due to bird flu. The state of health emergency means, first of all, reinforcing border controls to prevent the entry and exit of new cases to the countries of the region, which are also beginning to report the first infections —such is the case of, for example, Argentina, which also detected cases yesterday, in Jujuy, after bolivian reported the presence of bird flu in its territory last week.
Likewise, the exceptional status restricts all movements within the national territory of backyard birds —roosters, hens, chickens, and geese raised in home coops or backyards—and birds not controlled through the Poultry Monitoring System. And backyard birds and those that make up the Free Range production system must be housed in closed facilities with a roof in compliance with the Avian Influenza Contingency Manual approved in 2022.
In parallel, in addition, all fairs, auctions, exhibitions and events related to the avian species were suspended, with legal sanctions for those who fail to comply with this or any of the decreed measures. On the other hand, the markets will remain open since the H5 Avian Influenza virus is not spread through the consumption of meat and eggs.
Although the objective is to avoid a crisis situation in commercial farms and production centers, the MGAP is also evaluating the possibility of assisting with a compensation fund to producers who, if necessary, must carry out a controlled slaughter of production animals that become infected.
Source: Ambito
