Poultry farms in danger Bird flu forces free-range chickens into the barn
Because of bird flu, poultry may only be kept outdoors where contact with wild birds can be ruled out. However, free-range eggs may still be sold under this label.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- In Switzerland, the first cases of bird flu have been detected in wild birds, which has led to stricter protective measures for poultry farms.
- Free-range poultry may now only be kept outdoors if contact with wild birds is excluded; the term "free-range" remains permitted despite restrictions.
- The risk to the poultry industry is considerable, which is why strict hygiene rules apply - including for people on the farms - to prevent an outbreak.
The number of bird flu cases in Switzerland can still be counted on three hands. Five infected greylag geese, five ducks and two swans have been discovered in Switzerland so far. On November 21, the authorities of the canton of St. Gallen registered the first captive birds suffering from avian influenza at the town pond in Wil.
The avian influenza virus (AI virus) does not pose a health risk to humans. However, it could cause major damage on poultry farms. The federal government has therefore ordered measures to prevent the pathogen from spreading among laying hens or broilers. The economic damage would be enormous.
Chickens, turkeys and other poultry kept as livestock are only allowed outdoors if contact with wild birds can be ruled out. Wild animals have brought the AI virus to Switzerland and continue to spread it here.
This stricter protective measure was triggered by the infected ducks and swans in the town pond in Wil.
Free-range chickens can no longer go outside for the time being
This measure means a change for businesses that sell free-range eggs or chicken meat from such rearing. The question is also whether they will still be allowed to sell their products with the label "free-range" if the animals are no longer allowed outdoors.
The Federal Office for Agriculture and Veterinary Affairs (FSVO) has already announced at an earlier date that the term "free-range" may continue to be used if animals cannot be kept in outdoor enclosures due to official measures
"That's right," explains Daniel Würgler, President of the Gallosuisse association, "the farms can't quickly convert the chicken pasture, the costs will continue to be incurred."
The economic damage has therefore been averted for the time being.
In addition, the majority of laying hen farms have a so-called "outdoor climate area" (AKB). These are stables that are located outdoors but are completely surrounded by fencing. Some also have a roof. Some farms with mobile chicken coops set up nets around their pastures so that contact with wild animals is not possible there either.
In addition, feeding and water points must be protected in such a way that they are not accessible to wild birds, as the FSVO states in an information letter.
Species-appropriate husbandry in the "outdoor climate area"
Nevertheless, the measure means a change in everyday life for the farms and their animals. Chiara Augsburger, who heads the species-appropriate animal husbandry department at KAG Freiland, explains: "Part of the natural behavior of chickens is pecking, i.e. foraging, which is their constant activity."
Outdoors, chickens grab worms, insects and other living creatures and continually decide whether what they have found is something for them to eat or not.
"In the outdoor enclosure, however, there is no such potential food, so the chickens have no natural occupation," explains Augsburger.
It is therefore advisable for the employees to either scatter food or so-called pecking stones for their animals so that they can live out their natural behavior.
Würgler agrees: "I put in bales of straw and scatter grain from our farm. Others place branches, scatter mussel shells or grit."
Würgler emphasizes that this is part of the standard care of the chickens. And there's a simple reason for this: they don't like winter weather. "When it's wet and cold, most chickens stay inside anyway, even if the doors are open," he explains. Augsburger confirms: "Chickens like it warm and dry".
Broiler chickens hardly ever go outside anyway
The situation is different on farms that produce chicken meat: while 95 percent of hens lay eggs outdoors, only around 8 percent of broilers have access to the outdoors. For the other 92 percent, the FSVO's avian flu measures will not change anything, as they are kept exclusively indoors.
But even for free-range chickens, the barn is not a prison, but a home and refuge, Würgler emphasizes. The idea that the more time chickens spend outdoors, the better off they are, is wrong. "Some chickens go out often, others never, it's like humans."
The question remains as to how bird flu will develop in Switzerland, whether there will be isolated findings of wild animals or outbreaks on farms and how poultry farms will deal with the impending danger. Würgler sums it up as follows: "For around ten years, we have been living with the fact that there are bird flu cases in the fall when the migratory birds are on the move. But this year the situation is more difficult than before, the virus is more virulent. In Germany and France, 1.5 million animals have already been killed, but not a single one in Switzerland."
Measures also for people in the barn
The fact that Switzerland has been spared so far is partly due to the fact that it is not on the main route of the migratory birds. In addition, the farms are smaller, which would mean that fewer animals would have to be killed if cases were to occur. Würgler nevertheless leaves no doubt that if an infected animal is discovered on a farm, it would be "eliminated". All animals would have to be killed and the stables dismantled and disposed of.
Even if a wild animal infected with avian influenza is discovered, all animals on farms within a radius of several kilometers of where it was found are tested. In Würgler's case, that would be several thousand chickens. An enormous effort and a great deal of stress for the animals. "I live with the risk that a gray heron could die near our farm and be found to have bird flu."
Small farms with fewer than 50 chickens also pose a residual risk. The FSVO recommends the measures to them, but they are not mandatory.
For the association president, one thing is certain: "Panic is out of place, but we must take the danger seriously and act professionally." This includes the behavior of people on poultry farms. Würgler has just returned from an association meeting when he calls blue News. Before he goes into the barn, he takes a shower and puts on clothes that he only wears there. This is also what the BLV recommends.
They don't go so far as to prevent Gallosuisse board members - all of whom are active egg producers - from meeting in person, Würgler admits. "But I certainly wouldn't hold a meeting on my farm and then show my colleagues my henhouse in the current situation." He expects the same from his colleagues.
