Source: Michael Fielding, MEATINGPLACE, 9/29/15


The Georgia Poultry Federation has initiated a campaign to educate poultry farmers about this fall’s impending risks of avian influenza (AI) and the biosecurity measures that can be used to prevent it.

“There is a very real risk of poultry farms being infected as wild birds begin their migratory flights down south with colder weather,” said Mike Giles, president of the Georgia Poultry Federation, adding the risk of AI “is real – and potentially could be devastating to our North Georgia region and the entire state economy.”

The outbreak that devastated poultry producers during the winter and spring of 2015 was the worst animal disease in American history. It affected more than 48.8 million birds and 21 states before the final detection on June 17.

Working with a Gainesville-based marketing agency, the Georgia Poultry Federation has developed a themed campaign encouraging poultry growers to be “all in” with biosecurity measures to avoid losing their entire flocks to avian influenza.
The campaign theme “All in or All Gone” is being promoted via a myriad of marketing strategies that includes an education website as well as periodic email messages sent directly to the farmers and various promotional signs displayed at farms and on vehicles.

The messages are also being delivered to poultry growers at biosecurity training meetings held throughout the state.

“We have had tremendous cooperation from poultry companies throughout the state,” Giles added.

The campaign is planned around a series of messages educating farmers about simple biosecurity measures such as stepping into a disinfectant pan every time a poultry house is entered. The e-mails include Spanish and Vietnamese translations to ensure the messages are understood by all farm workers.

The federation has agreed to share the campaign with other poultry and turkey associations across the country that have expressed an interest in joining the campaign.

The current strain of AI only affects birds, not humans. The source of the virus is typically wild birds such as ducks and geese. Once the virus infects a single chicken or turkey, the disease can spread rapidly and wipe out an entire flock.

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