The Feather Board Command Centre is organizing the poultry farmers for the simulation that will run from now until March. The command centre was established when avian influenza outbreaks needed to be contained.
“Our goal is to develop a better understanding of how poultry disease outbreak investigations and industry communications can be improved to reduce the transmission of poultry diseases,” said Rob Hannam, chief executive officer for Farm Health Guardian.
“Using the Farm Health Guardian digital platform to record and analyze movements of vehicles and people on and off their farms, farmers can evaluate their own biosecurity protocols and disease vulnerabilities.”
The information is collected in real-time in a confidential database for the purpose of reducing disease spread and sending timely, precise disease alerts.
“We expect to learn a lot by documenting the actual frequency and nature of movement on and off of poultry farms,” said Ingrid DeVisser, chair of the Feather Board.
It includes Chicken Farmers of Ontario, Egg Farmers of Ontario, Ontario Broiler Hatching Egg and Chick Commission, Turkey Farmers of Ontario, the Ontario Hatcheries Association, Poultry Services Association, Association of Ontario Chicken Processors and feed companies represented through the Ontario Agri Business Association as associate members.
The entire poultry industry will benefit from the evaluation of this pilot project and participating farmers will gain a better understanding of biosecurity practices needed to protect their farms, the two organizations said in a joint news release.
Hannam said the Niagara Region was strategically selected for the pilot because of the concentration of poultry farms and the large number of service providers active in the area.
“We’ve had great participation from feed companies, catching crews, processors and hatcheries. It’s great to see this because, after all, everyone shares a responsibility to protect our industry and biosecurity is our best defence.”
The Farm Health Guardian and FBCC disease pilot and outbreak simulation is open to all poultry farmers in the Niagara Region and is still accepting participants. If you are interested in participating or learning more, please contact info@farmhealthguardian.com. To learn more about Farm Health Guardian, visit farmhealthguardian.com.
