avian flu spreading fast, was changes in food


Fran wrote
>>> Now why would a person who reads and posts in a "rural" ng notice such a
>>> thing? We all have hens, or should have given that they are the
>>> absolute base line for rural living.

Ann said

>>Because at least for some of us, it costs less to buy the eggs (and
>>chicken). (A building and fence that will protect chickens from a hungry
>>400# black bear is not cheap.)

Enjoy them while you can. I have a terrible feeling we're shortly
about to lose the free-range open air poultry and egg industries here,
including home-chickens, in a compulsory mass cull similar to the Foot
and Mouth epic.

Last week we heard the HN15 strain of Asian bird flu had been found in
Turkey (the country at the far end of Europe from mine, for the
geographically challenged) and this week it's been confirmed in Greece
Bulgaria and Rumania, even closer. It's spreading into commercial flocks
from migrating wildbirds. West Europe is just at the start of autumn's
mass long-range bird migrations.

IOW, this particularly virulent version of bird flu is expected to
reach the wild-bird population here this winter.Holland took the
precaution of confining its entire outdoor commercial poultry flocks, a
couple of months back. Countries where it has hit, have already faced
mass culls of commercial flocks, but producers here are already feeling
the pain. Poultry meat sales are dropping as public alarm grows.

Janet (Scotland)
.

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