CAIRO: Biosecurity is vital in combating avian flu, said officials from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). Professor Nick Taylor from the University of Reading said that biosecurity is about minimizing the risk of spreading the virus within the farm and from one farm to another. In cooperation with the General Organization of Veterinary Services (GOVS), the FAO organized a workshop in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the deadly virus. Explaining the possible scenarios of a viral outbreak, Taylor said the transmission of the virus can be prevented by identifying the critical control points of each scenario to minimize the risk. The discussions focused on combating the virus in privately-owned farms that are commonly found inside homes in rural areas. In these villages, there is no awareness about biosecurity and the implementation of practical steps to prevent the spread of the virus. "We have two sectors of poultry farms: the private sector, also known as the commercial sector, where biosecurity is given due attention and where sufficient funds are available to implement biosecurity measures, Mona Mehrez, head of the Central Laboratory for Poultry Monitoring at the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, told Daily News Egypt. On the other hand, there are the rural areas where poultry is raised inside the houses, and where, unfortunately, people are not educated enough or do not have the sufficient funds, she added. Participants highlighted the proximity between farms and the continuous presence of visitors as some of the major contributors to the spread of the disease. "We try to provide these producers with funds and create awareness, but the efforts of the public sector are necessary because they have better access to these people, she added. Mehrez emphasized the need to change people s perception about biosecurity, explaining that change has to be initiated at the grassroots level because the law is not enough. FAO'S Jonathan Rushton said that the diversity of the products and production methods within the poultry industry in Egypt increases the risk of a viral outbreak, especially throughout the different phases. He suggested subsidizing farmers to upgrade their livestock, a strategy that worked in Europe during the 50s and 60s. Participants also discussed the importance of compensating farm owners should their farms be found infected and were to be shut down. The workshop comes within the framework of controlling avian flu and saw the participation of poultry industry representatives, experts and veterinary professionals. Participants stressed the importance of implementing strong and efficient biosecurity measures against highly pathogenic avian flu. A study conducted by Walid Hamdy, assistant researcher and head of the viruses unit at the National Laboratory for the Veterinary Surveillance on Poultry Production, showed that during the last six months, 76 positive cases were reported while in 2007 120 cases were reported. The study also revealed that the production of poultry has decreased by 50 percent after the new regulations, which limited production to specific slaughterhouses. It proved that the available entities can only supply half of the required production.
