Last year, the poultry world burst into flames when first Argentina and then the almighty Brazil officially declared the presence of highly pathogenic avian flu virus in wild birds, then backyard flocks and finally, as in the case of Argentina, in commercial birds.
Brazil passed without commercial poultry production being impacted, but the majority of the remaining countries in Latin America did not. Brazil recovered trade sometime later on. Call it strict biosecurity, regulations compliance or simply good luck, the fact is that world poultry trade was on the verge of a problematic situation.
Within this context, there is something that lies in between the poultry chain – backyard production – which might be more challenging than any other aspect. Controlling wildlife is not an option, but poultry raised outside the commercial production may be.
We all know that backyard production plays an important role in impoverished societies, such as in Latin America, as it provides food that otherwise might not be accessible. But we all know that it is not efficient, it is not sustainable and it lacks biosecurity. In the end, it will probably be more expensive.
I am thinking about the first avian flu case reported by Colombia a few days ago in a backyard flock. It is the first this year and the second since October 2022, but it threatens commercial production and threatens plans to export.
The Colombian Ag Institute (Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario, ICA) in conjunction with the National Federation of Poultry Producers (Federación Nacional de Avicultores, Fenavi) has a very good follow up on the case and has disclosed all pertinent procedures to media and the public. A total of 1,290 notifications have been received between 2022 and 2023, resulting in 66 outbreaks. In 2024, up until this past Sunday, December 1, there were 283 notifications and zero outbreaks.
This last outbreak was detected in the northwestern municipality of Acandí, that borders neighboring Panama. The area is very isolated, and communications with the rest of the country are limited, which can be helpful in controlling the outbreak and avoiding spread to the rest of the poultry industry.
But the question remains: how can we control all backyard production? Would strict measures like prohibiting backyard poultry production be feasible, effective?
What do you think?
