Bird flu 'ticking time bomb' cannot be stopped without major farming reforms, warns new report

WITHOUT major reforms to industrial farming it will not be possible to end the spread of bird flu or reduce the risk of a global human Pandemic, warns a compelling new report by Compassion in World Farming.

The report; called Bird flu: Only major farm reforms can end it; shows that, contrary to popular belief, wild birds are typically victims of the disease rather than the cause, and it is spiralling out of control due to the rise of factory farming. This view is supported by the international Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza, which was set up to provide Governments with recommendations and guidance.

Backed by the very latest scientific evidence and illustrated with powerful images of poultry affected by bird flu around the world from We Animals Media, the report urges Governments to implement a 3 point action plan which includes:-

Mass vaccination of flocks to slow the spread.

Radical structuring of the poultry industry, to adopt smaller flocks with lower stocking densities and more robust breeds and avoid clusters of poultry farms to reduce the risk of highly pathogenic strains emerging and spreading.

Changing the way pigs are farmed as factory farmed pigs can act as:- 'mixing vessels' to create new pig, bird and human viruses.

Today, the animal welfare and environmental NGO has written to the UK Government and others across Europe and the US urging them to work with the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to implement this action plan without delay.

Tens of thousands of wild birds are reported to have died from bird flu, although the true number is thought to be in the millions. Until recently, the bird flu that circulated in wild birds generally caused them little harm. But when the virus enters overcrowded factory farm poultry sheds; often carried in on workers' contaminated shoes, clothing or equipment; it can evolve into dangerous Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).

These factory farms create the ideal conditions for the spread of the disease as they give viruses a constant supply of hosts; allowing infections to spread rapidly; and for highly harmful new strains to emerge.

More than half a billion farmed birds have died or been culled globally due to bird flu since 2021. Many were broilers (meat chickens) confined in factory farms where they are crammed closely together in huge sheds, or egg-laying hens that live confined in cages around the size of an A4 sheet of paper.

Author of the report and Chief Policy Adviser at Compassion in World Farming, Peter Stevenson, said:- "Bird flu is like a ticking time bomb. Unless we wake up and take urgent action to end factory farming we will simply be unable to stop its rapid spread across the globe or reduce the risk of a serious human Pandemic developing. Cramming animals together in factory farms in not only totally inhumane, it's creating the perfect place for bird flu and other viruses to spread and mutate into more dangerous strains. That's why our END.IT campaign seeks to end factory farming and transform our global food system to ensure the future health of animals, people and our planet. 3 key actions are needed to tackle this disease; vaccination, major reform of the poultry industry and an end to the factory farming of pigs. Governments around the world must implement this three-point plan without delay. If they don't, millions more birds and other mammals are likely to suffer and die and the health of millions of people may be in serious jeopardy."

Birds are not the only animals affected by avian flu. The disease has already spread to mammals; infecting:- otters, foxes, dolphins, sea lions, mink, and domestic dogs and cats, amongst others. It has also developed the ability to spread from one mink to another; something it previously had not been capable of in mammals; this makes it far more dangerous. If it develops the same ability to spread between humans, it becomes a real Pandemic risk.

At least 875 people have been infected worldwide since 2003. The swine flu epidemic of 2009 and the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak, caused by a flu virus with genes of an avian origin, powerfully highlight the capabilities of zoonotic disease.

Professor Devi Sridhar, chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, has said:- "The more chances the virus has to jump into a human and mutate, the more likely it is a dangerous strain will emerge that could set off the next Pandemic."

This view is supported by a joint statement from the UN's Food and Agriculture (FAO), World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in July 2023 which said:- "Avian influenza viruses normally spread among birds, but the increasing number of H5N1 avian influenza detections among mammals which are biologically closer to humans than birds are raises concern that the virus might adapt to infect humans more easily."

We would love to know your thoughts on this issue. Does it affect you, are you worried, please do send your views to:- News24@SouthportReporter.Com or send us a message on:-  Mastodon, Facebook or Twitter.

You can check the UK Government website to see what areas are currently within a bird flu disease zone, by clicking onto this link.

If you want to help stop the spread of bird flue, and you own land that the public use, that has birds using it, think about displaying the Defra posters to help your visitors to know more about what to do. To get the poster, please click on this link  or go to:- Gov.UK for more advice posters.

Compassion in World Farming's END.IT campaign is building a global movement to end factory farming and transform our global food system to ensure the future health of animals, people and our planet. To sign the petition visit:- END.IT.

It is worth adding that you can find out lots more about notifiable animal disease cases and control zones within England on the:- Gov.UK website.

1 in 5 homeowners never had a gas safety check, leaving them open to dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning

RESEARCH from Fair Fix, the boiler engineer experts, has revealed that despite a reduction in the number of deaths caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, a worrying 1 in 5 UK homeowners have never had a gas safety check carried out on the gas appliances within their home.

Deaths from carbon monoxide... The latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows that in a single year, 43 people died due to accidental poisoning from carbon monoxide. A further 20 people died due to accidental poisoning by other gases and vapours, with 70% of these additional deaths occurring within the home.

The good news is that this number is on the decline. Accidental deaths from carbon monoxide fell by -7% on an annual basis and sit some -46% lower than a decade ago.

At the same time, accidental poisoning by other gases and vapours specifically within the home fell by -13% year on year and have more than halved (-52%) in the last 10 years.

What is an Annual Gas Safety Check? A gas safety check is a yearly inspection of any and all gas appliances within your home. It checks that your appliances are working correctly, there is adequate air supply, appliance safety devices are functioning and that gas is burning properly, amongst other things.

Only a qualified gas safety engineer can carry out a gas safety check, which should take around half an hour to complete. On completion you will be given a gas safety certificate which is fit for a year.

As a homeowner you aren't legally required to perform an Annual Gas Safety check, only landlords have to oblige to avoid falling foul of the law.

1 in 5 homeowners have never had a gas safety check... While there is no legal obligation, a gas safety check is highly recommended, as any gas appliance could leave you at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if faulty.

However, a survey of UK homeowners, commissioned by FariFix, found that despite the dangers posed by gas appliances, a worrying number of homeowners are failing to conduct the proper checks.

While half of those surveyed (51%) are carrying out the advised annual check of their gas appliances, 22% stated that they had never had a gas safety check in their home.

A further 14% stated that they couldn't remember the last time they had done so.

Founder of Fair Fix, Tyrone Ekrem, commented:- "Over 40 people a year die from carbon monoxide poisoning and quite frankly this is 40 too many in this day and age. The good news is that advancements in the quality and safety of gas appliances has no doubt contributed to a reduction in carbon monoxide deaths over the last decade, but it simply isn't enough to trust the durability of your appliances to keep you and your family safe. At the very least, you should be conducting an Annual Gas Safety check to ensure your gas appliances are in good nick, but worryingly, a large proportion of homeowners have never even had an inspection. It's understandable that the cost incurred may be a contributing factor, particularly at present with the cost of living remaining so high. However, with prices ranging from:- £30 to £150, it's money very well spent if it avoids a tragedy within the home."