She writes:
We are already a third of the way through the year. Where does the time go? As COVID-19 restrictions start to lift, not only are we hoping that the reopening of hospitality and food service will help members who supply these sectors, but it also offers hope that we may soon be able to start seeing each other face to face rather than via a screen!
The first few months of the year have been dominated by consultations while keeping a constant watching eye on NGO-led activity, the latter not only concentrating on animal welfare but also increasingly focused on environmental protection. A coalition of NGOs has led a campaign focused on the British chicken supply chain, broadcasting its intention to highlight one retailer in particular in April in order to put pressure on them to adopt the Better Chicken Commitment.
While a specific website was set up and there was also some social media coverage attracting backing from broadcaster Chris Packham, the campaign gained little traction. However, this NGO-led pressure against supermarkets should not be underestimated as it appears to be ramping up once again and will ultimately put pressure on the entire supply chain. Please remain vigilant and keep your sites secure. Keep records and report anything untoward to the police, even if you think it’s only something trivial at the time, it may turn into something more serious.
Avian influenza update
On 31 March, the housing measures that formed part of the Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) in place across Britain were lifted. This was a great relief to egg producers as just a few more days of housing would have breached the 16-week period of free-range protection granted through legislation.
As we saw in 2016-17, if free-range status had been lost this would have caused serious disruption to the egg supply chain and had a significant impact on the egg sector.
Only a few days before the housing measures were due to be lifted, we unfortunately saw further outbreaks of AI confirmed in Cheshire, Staffordshire and Lancashire. This emphasises that the risk of disease incursion is still there, and every poultry keeper must remain vigilant for any signs of disease while also practising the enhanced biosecurity that is still mandatory under the AIPZ measures.
On 21 April, it was announced that certain bird gatherings can take place again, provided they meet the requirements of the relevant general licence, and organisers notify the APHA at least seven days before any planned event is due to take place.
Events deemed ‘low risk’ enough to take place include those involving budgerigars, canaries, parrots, cockatiels and birds of prey only, with some low-risk pigeon racing also permitted.
It is important to note that, at the time of writing, gatherings of ducks, geese, chickens, turkeys or game birds, whether kept commercially as poultry, pets or for other purposes, remain banned until further notice, but the collection of wild game birds is not affected by these measures. We now await an updated risk assessment that will be conducted by the APHA to determine if any further restrictions can be lifted in the coming weeks.