Careful disposal of turkeys with avian flu is all-day process at farm in Polk County

April 01, 2011|by Linda Russell, KY3 News | lrussell@ky3.com

LOUISBURG, Mo. -- Trucks hauled away turkeys from a poultry farm in Polk County on Friday. Routine tests discovered avian influenza at the farm. The farm is off Highway P north of Halfway and west of Louisburg. The farm has been quarantined since Wednesday by the Missouri Department of Agriculture.

It's a Cargill contract farm, and Cargill says the older tom turkeys raised here were ready for slaughter, so that would still be done. A younger flock was humanely killed. On Friday morning, the farm was full of trucks, trailers and loaders as those dead turkeys were hauled away.

People helping with the operation wore protective suits and masks, and tires were hosed off before leaving. Polk County Emergency Management Director Rick Lewis said the turkey carcasses were being taken to an undisclosed approved location. One person helping with the effort later told us that place is a landfill.

Mack Wilson, who lives across the road from the turkey farm, has a few chickens and has to keep them quarantined until tests confirm they're not affected. He said he's not too worried about the birds.

"I have an 11-year-old son and one that's going to be 9 here pretty quick. That's what I worry about more than the chickens," he said.

"This hasn't been a thing that's dangerous to humans or human consumption," said Lewis.

The Centers for Disease Control says low pathogenic avian flu, the type found here, poses little risk to human health.
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News release, 6 p.m. Friday:

Department of Agriculture Releases Test Results on Poultry Virus in Southwest Missouri

(JEFFERSON CITY, Mo.) – The Missouri Department of Agriculture is nearing completion of its investigation of a case of low pathogenic avian influenza in Polk County. Test results provided by USDA confirm “apparent subclinical infection of low pathogenic avian influenza (H7N3)” on the initial flock of meat-type turkeys.

On March 25, Missouri’s State Veterinarian was notified that preliminary results from routine testing indicated the presence of avian influenza. Biosecurity measures were immediately enacted and the facility was quarantined. Low pathogenic avian influenza is very rarely transmitted to humans and does not pose a health threat or risk to the food supply.

Subsequent tests performed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, revealed no shedding of the virus. As a result, the adult birds were released from quarantine on March 31 by the USDA Area Veterinarian in Charge and the State Veterinarian and then transported to a Cargill facility for processing. The younger birds on the farm premises were depopulated pursuant to biosecurity protocols.

Avian influenza is a viral disease affecting birds. It occurs naturally and may be spread by wildlife. As a precautionary measure, flocks within six miles of the facility are being tested and monitored.

The Missouri Department of Agriculture and the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services continue to work closely with the USDA to monitor the situation.

For more information on the Missouri Department of Agriculture and its programs, visit mda.mo.gov.

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