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January 1 to January 10, 2003
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San Diego Union Tribune, CA

Poultry quarantine now covers 8 counties in region

Officials declare state of emergency

By Elizabeth Fitzsimons
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

January 10, 2003

REF: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20030110-9999_1m10emer.html

The state has expanded a quarantine to prevent the spread of a fatal avian disease to include Ventura, Santa Barbara and Imperial counties, and Gov. Gray Davis and the federal government have declared the situation an emergency.

Exotic Newcastle disease, which is highly contagious among birds but does not affect people, was recently detected in a pet chicken in Ventura. No discoveries of the disease were made in Santa Barbara or Imperial counties, but the state added those counties to the quarantine as a precaution.

San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange counties and parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties were already under quarantine, which bans the shipment of poultry and poultry products, except sanitized eggs, outside the quarantine area.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture declared the exotic Newcastle outbreak an "extraordinary emergency." The declaration paves the way for the distribution of $40 million that a task force has requested for fighting the disease and for destroying infected flocks.

Davis' emergency declaration allows state agencies to share resources and work with the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Davis instructed state Agriculture Secretary William Lyons Jr. and Emergency Services Director Dallas Jones to work together to quickly stop the spread of the disease.

"Exotic Newcastle disease is a devastating bird illness that has the potential to wipe out the poultry industry," Davis said in a statement.

The outbreak, first detected in October in a backyard flock of chickens in Los Angeles County, was confined to pet birds until late last month, when chickens at commercial egg ranches in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, and then one in Ramona, were found to be infected.

The Ramona case is the only one in San Diego County, officials said.

There are more than 600 state and federal personnel assigned to the eradication project, said Larry Cooper, spokesman for the California Department of Agriculture.

To prevent the spread of the disease, authorities destroy entire flocks. To date, about 1.2 million birds have been ordered destroyed, including 73,000 at Ramona Egg Enterprises Inc. on Old Julian Road.

Elizabeth Fitzsimons:
(760) 752-6743; elizabeth.fitzsimons@uniontrib.com



Los Angeles Times - CA

January 10, 2003

REF: http://www.latimes.com/la-me-chickens10jan10,0,479076.story

VENTURA COUNTY
Search to Target Infected Poultry
Inspectors will fan out from the Somis locale where a chicken died of Newcastle disease.

By Rodney Bosch, Times Staff Writer

After confirming that a chicken in Somis died from the exotic Newcastle disease, Ventura County's agricultural commissioner said a door-to-door inspection will begin next week to identify any other infected poultry across the county.

State and federal inspectors will begin their search at the Somis property and fan out in every direction, Commissioner Earl McPhail said. At its peak, the search could involve as many as "a couple hundred inspectors," he said.

The inspectors will look for any fowl with symptoms of the disease, such as breathing problems and muscular tremors, and will take random blood samples.

While there are no commercial chicken or egg farms in Ventura County, McPhail said many residents raise chickens at home for their eggs.

The virus, which is harmless to humans, is spread primarily when healthy birds come in contact with the fecal matter of infected birds.

The action comes on the heels of the federal government and Gov. Gray Davis both declaring a state of emergency Wednesday to contain the disease to Southern California.

The quarantine also prohibits all poultry exhibitions, which means the Ventura County Fair could be prevented from hosting its normal slate of competitions.

"If we are still under quarantine come the end of July or the first of August," McPhail said, "there will be no fowl at the fair."

Newcastle disease is a deadly avian virus that is threatening the state's $3-billion poultry business. A statewide outbreak in 1971 prompted the destruction of nearly 12 million chickens at a cost of $56 million.

The latest outbreak was discovered in backyard chicken flocks in Compton in October and in commercial poultry in December, according to the state Department of Food and Agriculture. During the last several weeks, state officials have called for the destruction of about 1.2 million chickens.

Chickens in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Orange counties were quarantined in late December. Wednesday's declaration expanded the quarantine area to Ventura, Santa Barbara and Imperial counties.

"The biggest concern right now is to make sure poultry and other host fowl are not moved around," McPhail said. "People who have poultry in their backyard need to make sure they don't take mud on their shoes or boots to their neighbor's house."

Quarantine violators can be fined up to $25,000.

Copyright 2003 Los Angeles Times



FOOD & FARM NEWS

(Issue date: Friday, January 10, 2003)

REF: http://www.cfbf.com/ffn/2003/ffn-01_10_03.html

More pet birds found to have disease

Inspectors going door-to-door in Southern California continue to find more backyard birds infected with exotic Newcastle disease. The number of inspectors may increase to three thousand, as officials work to contain the poultry disease. The US Agriculture Department expanded a quarantine this week to include the state's eight southernmost counties. It wants to assure trading partners that the disease is restricted to that area



Antelope Valley Press - CA

Newcastle disease spreads worry
Viral affliction hits chickens, other fowl
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press Thursday, January 9, 2003.

By HEATHER LAKE
Valley Press Staff Writer

REF: http://www.avpress.com/n/thsty2.hts

LITTLEROCK - Los Angeles County is under "area quarantine" and at least 23 private properties are under "premises quarantine" as incidents of the deadly and purportedly indiscriminant Exotic Newcastle disease have contaminated properties in Lancaster, Littlerock and Santa Clarita.

The viral disease, which poses no risk to humans, is commonly known to infect domestic fowls, turkeys, pheasants, pigeons, quail and guinea fowl.

The disease is a suspected menace to all bird species and is considered the most infectious disease of poultry, threatening even vaccinated birds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Despite the implementation of aggressive measures, the California Department of Food and Agriculture reports that outbreaks in commercial egg-laying facilities have been discovered in San Bernardino and San Diego counties.

"This is an alarming situation that seriously threatens our poultry industry," said CDFA Secretary William Lyons Jr.

Littlerock resident Sherry Morris is one of the latest to have her birds hit by exotic Newcastle disease.

As a result of the agriculture department's aggressive measures, Morris has little to show for her once $40,000 bird amassment but toppled empty cages after USDA officials rushed to euthanize hundreds of her birds and quarantine others when her dead and dying chickens tested positive for exotic Newcastle disease in late December.

Bill Klein, an agricultural biologist and past president of the California State Racing Pigeon Organization, is seething over how the USDA is handling the contaminations.

"I have nothing but disdain for the whole program," said Klein, who criticized the eradication approach he says is relying on "old biology."

Klein said it is now known that the disease does not infect all bird types and that the "kill them all" mentality is not based on (modern) science.

"If pigeons were really susceptible to this we would see them falling out of the sky everywhere," Klein said.

He said there are only three known cases, ever, of a pigeon contracting the disease.

Still, all of the Morris' 130 racing pigeons were euthanized, along with peacocks, pheasants, ducks, cockatiels and canaries, even though only the Morris' chickens were showing symptoms of the disease.

Morris, who once shared her 1-acre Littlerock home with upwards of 500 various birds, said she started noticing unusual symptoms in a 10-year-old chicken, who had a blank stare, appetite loss, respiratory distress, disheveled appearance and slimy discharge from the mouth. She likened it to a common cold in humans.

"I ended up with 18 chickens in my kitchen, trying to doctor them," said Morris, who called the USDA on Dec. 27 because of the growing problem with chickens on her property.

Birds infected with the disease are normally dead within 24 hours, Klein said.

At her request, the USDA came to her property on Dec. 28, tested the yard and removed the already dead chickens, swabbing about 40 other birds for specimens, Morris said.

The following Tuesday, after a conference call with USDA officials, Morris said they returned to her property, with members of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Palmdale station acting as mediators, to "depopulate" the premises.

"They had a forced entry warrant (and) they hit me like a SWAT team," Morris said.

When USDA officials returned again this week, Morris pleaded with them not to take the nene Hawaiian geese, which is an endangered species.

One goose was euthanized on the spot, and the remaining 14 were quarantined in an unknown location, Morris said.

She estimated the value of each breeding pair between $2,000 and $5,000.

She doesn't know where they are or if she will ever get them back, but she is quite certain that witnessing the gassing of their counterparts will have a detrimental emotional impact on the birds.

"They were very traumatized by this... to be exposed to the whole ordeal," said Morris, who is considering putting her house up for sale and moving to Nevada, frustrated with the way the contamination was handled.

Even though Morris will be reimbursed by the state for the birds, she said, "These birds were more than just birds. I raised everybody in the house."

The last commercial outbreak of Newcastle disease occurred in California in 1971, affecting more than 1,300 flocks and 12 million birds. The outbreak cost U.S. poultry and egg supply and taxpayers $56 million, according to the USDA.

Klein said the best way to avoid contamination is diligence.

"You don't let anybody else (who raises birds) back by your birds," Klein said.

He recommends those who do raise birds to consistently sanitize shoes with a light bleach solution. While there is a vaccine for Newcastle disease, it is not mandatory, Klein said.

On Friday, representatives from the Federal Animal, Plant and Health Inspection Service in Iowa, who are investigating exotic Newcastle disease, will conduct a public information meeting to field questions from concerned Valley residents.

The meeting was arranged by Dr. Lynn McEwan, a local avian veterinarian.

It will be at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10, at the Color Guard Hall, 39463 10th St. East in Palmdale, at the corner of Avenue P.



The North County Times - CA

Gov. Davis declares emergency over poultry disease

Gig Conaughton
Staff Writer

REF: http://www.nctimes.net/news/2003/20030109/11111.html

In a move hailed by San Diego and Riverside County agricultural leaders Wednesday, Gov. Gray Davis declared a state of emergency over the Southern California outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease, which threatens the state's $3 billion poultry industry.

Meanwhile, the federal Department of Agriculture expanded the quarantine zone to include all of Southern California, shortly after Davis' emergency declaration.

Exotic Newcastle Disease is a virus that does not affect humans, but is deadly to all birds, especially chickens.

Davis' emergency declaration also allows state agencies to pool resources to work with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to eradicate the disease.

Supervisors in San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties either declared or ratified their own Newcastle Disease states of emergencies Tuesday, and asked the governor and President Bush to proclaim states of emergency that would clear the way for financial aid for affected businesses.

San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob, whose district includes the community of Ramona, the scene of San Diego County's Newcastle outbreak, said the Davis declaration was an important step in making sure the disease does not wreck California's poultry industry.

"I'm very pleased with the governor's prompt response," Jacob said. "San Diego County is second in the state in poultry production, and we've already had to destroy some 70,000 chickens in Ramona. Our chicken ranchers will need all the help they can get."

Dustin Wiley, deputy agriculture commissioner for Riverside County, the state's No. 1 producer of eggs, said Exotic Newcastle could devastate the state's poultry industry because there is no cure or vaccine for the disease. California is the nation's third-largest egg producer, and more than 9 million of the state's 12 million egg-laying chickens are in the quarantine zone.

Wiley and San Diego County Veterinarian Kerry Mahoney said the only way to eradicate the disease is to quarantine and destroy the infected birds, and ban any more birds from being raised on the affected property for additional time because the virus can live in the soil.

To date in Riverside and San Diego counties, the outbreaks have been limited to single commercial chicken farms ---- one in each county. Officials said they believe the outbreaks were caused by backyard flocks, and spread to the commercial farms.

Exotic Newcastle Disease has been discovered in San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange and Los Angeles counties. The quarantine zone was expanded Wednesday to include Santa Barbara, Ventura and Imperial counties as a precaution ---- no infected commercial chickens have been found there.

Riverside County officials estimate their poultry and egg industry alone to be worth $56 million in annual production. Poultry, combined with livestock production, totaled $67 million in San Diego County in 2001.

Despite the state's $35 billion budget deficit, Jacob said she expects the state to step up with funding to bail out affected farmers and not just limit state aid to manpower supplied by the state's department of food and agriculture.

"I understand there is a deficit," Jacob said, "but it's also the state's responsibility to assist both financially and with manpower in an emergency of this type."

Analysts say that because the disease has been contained so far, it has had little effect on the industry. Poultry and egg prices have remained stable.

"This isn't effecting the industry yet. We are still producing as many chickens and eggs as we ever produced," said Bill Maddows of the California Poultry Federation.

However, Mahoney said that some countries have put embargoes on buying eggs from not just Southern California, but the entire state.

Eric Larson, president of the San Diego County Farm Bureau, said that if the state doesn't come up with money to fight the problem now, it is risking losing even more money.

"The estimates for the cost of this are extraordinarily large amounts of money, and they continue to grow," Larson said. "The sooner the state starts spending to eradicate this, the better; and the cheaper it will be (in the long run)."

A major outbreak of the disease occurred in Southern California in 1971 and threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply.

Mahoney said the state spent more than $56 million to eradicate the problem then. The San Diego County agriculture commissioner said in a 2001 interview that a similar outbreak could cost the state $1 billion to eradicate in 2001 dollars.

Jacob, meanwhile, said the potential devastation could hit Californians hard ---- not just from the financial loss.

"This needs to be eradicated. There is definitely a public interest here. People rely upon chickens and eggs," she said. "These are basic food products."

Associated Press staff writer Chelsea J. Carter contributed to this report. Contact staff writer Gig Conaughton at (760) 739-6696 or gconaughton@nctimes.com.

1/9/03



Los Angeles Times - CA
Inland Valley Voice

January 9, 2003

Egg farmers will get aid for lost fowl

Official declaration clears way for funds, other assistance to help in battle against Newcastle disease.

REF: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/ontario/news/la-ivo-newcastle09jan09.story

By Matthew Chin, Inland Valley Voice

Inland Valley egg ranch owners and agriculture officials fighting a deadly avian disease welcomed the state of emergency declared Wednesday by state and federal governments.

Federal agriculture officials Wednesday also expanded a quarantine area to prevent further spread of exotic Newcastle disease. The federal government allocated $40 million to fight the outbreak, said U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman Larry Hawkins.

Declaring a state of emergency makes it easier for state agencies to work together and can free money to assist business owners whose flocks must be killed.

"It does more to guarantee industry for any of their losses," said John Gardner, San Bernardino County chief deputy agriculture commissioner.

San Bernardino County egg production totaled $26.2 million in 2001.

"It's good to know you're going to have a little extra help," said Phil Stramisky, owner of Golden Fresh Egg Ranch in Fontana and Chino. Stramisky said he survived the last exotic Newcastle outbreak in the early 1970s and has increased his business' biological security. No one is allowed near his birds and delivery trucks are washed down to help ensure they do not bring the disease onto his property.

Exotic Newcastle disease was first found in backyard flocks in October. In late December, it was reported at commercial egg ranches in San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties. More than 1 million birds were to be destroyed. The disease has not been found at any other commercial properties.

The disease is not harmful to humans and is not considered a public health threat.

The quarantine zone covers Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Imperial, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Officials are trying to prevent the disease from spreading to the San Joaquin Valley, the heart of the state's poultry industry, Hawkins said.

Six hundred state and federal workers are spread across the state talking to property and business owners, testing for the disease, disinfecting properties and killing birds.



Los Angeles, Times - CA

January 9, 2003

Chicken Disease Prompts Davis to Declare State of Emergency
U.S. government joins in declaration as virus threatens California's poultry industry.

By Melinda Fulmer, Times Staff Writer

REF: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-chicken9jan09.story

The federal government and Gov. Gray Davis both declared a state of emergency Wednesday in Southern California because of an outbreak of exotic Newcastle disease, a deadly avian virus that is threatening the state's $3-billion poultry business.

The declarations won't provide much if any additional compensation for affected chicken farms. But they help provide a way for state and federal agencies to pool their staff and equipment more quickly and bypass government contracting rules to help control the fast-spreading infection and dispose of birds.

About 650 people have been assigned from different agencies to work on eradicating the disease.

During the last several weeks, state officials have called for the destruction of about 1.2 million chickens to contain the outbreak, which was first discovered in backyard chicken flocks in Compton in September.

California already has agreed to compensate farmers $2 to $5 for each bird destroyed.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, meanwhile, expanded the quarantine area for the disease to include Santa Barbara and Imperial counties, although no evidence of disease has been found in either region. Chickens in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Orange counties were quarantined in late December.

"The purpose is to create a buffer zone around Newcastle disease-infected sites," USDA spokesman Larry Hawkins told Associated Press. "It provides additional security against the spread of the disease."

The virus spreads quickly among birds but is harmless to humans. Farms under quarantine cannot move live birds and poultry products out of the zone, although sanitized eggs can be distributed as normal. Riverside County is the state's No. 1 egg producer.

The measures also are designed to prevent the disease from spreading north to the state's Central Valley, where the bulk of the poultry industry is concentrated.

"Exotic Newcastle disease is a devastating bird illness that has the potential to wipe out the poultry industry," Davis said in a statement from Sacramento.

So far, the disease has not affected supplies of poultry or eggs, and supermarket prices have remained stable.

A statewide outbreak of the disease in 1971 prompted the destruction of nearly 12 million chickens at a cost of $56 million.

The two emergency declarations came a day after the Riverside and San Bernardino county boards of supervisors asked the governor and President Bush to declare emergencies.

The state-of-emergency declaration was a necessary first step for the state to get federal funds.



Sacramento Bee, CA

Emergency steps set over poultry

The state and federal government plan a joint fight over the disease outbreak in Southern California.

By Bob Walter -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Thursday, January 9, 2003

REF: http://www.sacbee.com/content/business/story/5839305p-6805782c.html

Saying that exotic Newcastle disease could wipe out the state's $3 billion poultry industry, Gov. Gray Davis and the federal government declared a state of emergency Wednesday in the fight against the outbreak in Southern California.

In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's declaration expanded the poultry quarantine zone to include all of Southern California, where the outbreak was discovered in backyard chicken flocks in October and in commercial operations in December.

Chickens in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Orange counties were quarantined in late December. Santa Barbara, Ventura and Imperial counties were the latest added to the quarantine zone.

Poultry and poultry products cannot be moved from the quarantined counties. Because the disease cannot be transmitted to humans, however, eggs can be moved after they are washed, sanitized and packed in new materials.

"I am instructing my agriculture secretary and emergency services director to work together to stop the spread of the disease and to eradicate it as quickly as possible," Davis said in a written statement.

The virulently infectious exotic Newcastle disease is fatal to all species of birds.

Some 1.2 million chickens have been destroyed with carbon dioxide gas since the eradication effort began, officials said.

The last time the disease hit California -- in 1971 -- federal and state agriculture departments destroyed some 12 million chickens and spent nearly $56 million to eradicate the disease.

The declarations Wednesday will allow state and federal agencies to pool resources and work cooperatively to battle the outbreak, and they will spur emergency financial aid.

Larry Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said the joint federal and state task force battling the disease learned Wednesday that it will receive $40 million from the federal Commodity Credit Corp. for the first stage of the eradication program, which includes reimbursement for farmers whose birds are destroyed.

That task force includes more than 600 federal and state employees who are identifying flocks, imposing quarantines, euthanizing and disposing of birds and cleaning and disinfecting infected sites, Hawkins said.

Bill Mattos, president of the Modesto-based California Poultry Federation, said Wednesday's state and federal declarations were crucial for two reasons: They provide people and money for the eradication effort, and they essentially split California's poultry industry into two regions.

"We are hopeful that the declaration in Southern California will let our exporting partners look at the state as two entities," Mattos said. "That could allow products from Northern California to be shipped around the world."

Mexico, the state's top poultry export market, has banned shipments of most poultry since the virus was discovered. Last week, Canada announced a two-week ban on poultry and poultry products from California.

Mattos and others said the outbreak has had no impact on poultry prices in the state.

Prices for chickens -- 98 percent of which are raised north of Bakersfield -- have not been affected, Mattos said.

And egg prices, which have been sluggish for some time, actually have dropped by 16 cents a dozen during the last month, according to the California Farm Bureau Federation.

About the Writer
----------------
The Bee's Bob Walter can be reached at (916) 321-1215 or bwalter@sacbee.com. The Associated Press contributed to this story.



San Francisco Chronicle, CA

Poultry quarantine extended
Emergency declared in 6 southern counties

Chuck Squatriglia, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, January 9, 2003

REF: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/01/09/BU240370.DTL

Racing to contain a disease that has forced the slaughter of about 1.2 million chickens in recent weeks, the federal government on Wednesday expanded a quarantine to cover all chickens in Southern California, as Gov. Gray Davis declared a state of emergency in six counties.

The nearly simultaneous moves are a concerted push to eradicate exotic Newcastle disease, among the most infectious poultry diseases, before it ravages California's $3 billion annual poultry industry.

The USDA's quarantine expansion came just hours after Davis declared a state of emergency in Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange and Ventura counties.

The federal government hopes to contain the disease, while Davis' declaration cleared the way for increased funding and state manpower to fight it.

The disease, which is harmless to humans but fatal to birds, has so far been confined to Southern California. But there is mounting concern that it could spread north into the state's major poultry production areas, exponentially increasing the cost of eradicating it, experts said.

"The disease is a big deal and a big concern," Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, told the California Farm Bureau on Wednesday.

Exotic Newcastle disease was first detected in backyard flocks in Los Angeles County in September. It surfaced last month at farms in Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, prompting the U.S. Department of Agriculture to quarantine chickens in those counties as well as Los Angeles and Orange counties.

The quarantine, which bars the transport of poultry, poultry products and nesting materials, was expanded Wednesday to include Santa Barbara, Ventura and Imperial counties, even though the disease has not surfaced there.

"The purpose is to create a buffer zone around Newcastle disease-infected sites," USDA spokesman Larry Hawkins said. "It provides additional security against the spread of the disease."

Because the disease cannot be transmitted to humans, eggs are not included in the quarantine but must be sanitized by producers. California is the nation's third-largest producer of eggs, and more than 9 million of the state's 12 million egg-laying hens are within the quarantine zone.

More than 1.2 million chickens have been destroyed since the disease surfaced, but poultry and egg prices have remained stable, and experts said the outbreak has had little impact on the industry.

"We are still producing as many chickens and eggs as we've ever produced," Mattos said.

A task force of state and federal agriculture officials and scientists has been tracking the outbreak and advising farms on how to address it. The panel is making door-to-door checks of farms in the affected area and has begun weekly veterinarian checks in the quarantine zone, said Larry Cooper, a spokesman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture.

No new cases have been found at commercial farms in more than a week, he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. / E-mail Chuck Squatriglia csquatriglia@sfchronicle.com.



Access North Georgia, GA

Guyana temporarily bans eggs and chicks from Georgia

Updated Thursday, January 9 at 5:35 AM

REF: http://www.accessnorthga.com/news/hall/newfullstory.asp?ID=67841

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA - Guyana banned imports of hatching eggs and baby chickens from Georgia and California to prevent Exotic Newcastle disease from spreading to this country on the north coast of South America, officials said Wednesday.

Eggs and chicks from California and Georgia are banned temporarily, the Livestock Ministry said, though Georgia has not reported any outbreak of the disease.

Guyana's poultry association also acknowledged the disease had not appeared in Georgia, but said the government was seeking assurance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture before lifting the ban.

Georgia agriculture officials said they hadn't heard that the ban applied to their state.

Guyana buys most of its chicks from Georgia and not from southern California, where the disease has prompted a region-wide quarantine.

Exotic Newcastle, one of the most infectious poultry diseases in the world, is harmless to humans but fatal to birds. USDA officials have ordered more than a million chickens destroyed after finding new cases of the disease.

Guyana, which last year became self-sufficient in poultry production, nevertheless relies heavily on the import of hatching eggs and chicks to stock its poultry farms.

To protect its poultry industry from cheaper American imports, Guyana last month increased import duties from 56 percent to 125 percent on other poultry products.

Copyright 2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - CA

Feds, Davis step into fight against Newcastle disease

By ALAN SCHNEPF, STAFF WRITER

REF: http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203%257E21481%257E1097284,00.html

The federal Department of Agriculture on Wednesday expanded the quarantine zone for Exotic Newcastle Disease to include all of Southern California and declared a state of emergency because of the threat to the state's $3 billion a year poultry industry.

The federal announcement came hours after Gov. Gray Davis declared a state of emergency, releasing money and manpower to combat the disease that has required the slaughter of more than 1.2 million chickens.

Exotic Newcastle disease poses no threat to humans, but it has spurred officials to kill about 1.2 million birds across Southern California to keep the disease from spreading.

Since it first appeared in Compton in October, exotic Newcastle cases have been confirmed at more than 1,150 locations in San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles and San Diego counties. Nearly all have been in what officials call "backyard' birds.

But commercial flocks whose owners generally take strong measures to protect them from infectious disease have been hit in San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties.

Kimberley Smith, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said a noncommercial case has also been confirmed in Ventura County.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture declared its own "extraordinary state of emergency' Wednesday.

Smith described the declarations as "an administrative formality' that allows government agencies to move more quickly to contain an epidemic.

The state declaration, for instance, suspends laws regarding competitive bidding requirements.

Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, said declaring the state of emergency also could be a mechanism to free up federal money to fight the disease. More than 650 workers are working to eliminate the disease, up from fewer than 250 in December.

Mattos said the disease is threatening, but the poultry industry is not in imminent danger of financial collapse because of exotic Newcastle.

"It's not a catastrophe, but it could be if it's not taken care of,' Mattos said.

An outbreak of exotic Newcastle led to catastrophic losses in the early 1970s, when the disease spread statewide, forcing officials to spend $56 million and kill more than 12 million birds to contain it.

"The best case scenario is we don't have any more,' said Larry Cooper, a spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture. "The worst case scenario is that it spreads statewide.'

Mattos said security measures and frequent testing at commercial ranches are helping to eradicate the disease, but that informal backyard flocks are difficult to monitor.

"Our biggest challenge is getting the disease in back yards,' Mattos said. "That's where it started, and that's where the birds move without (government) knowledge.'

But getting to the disease can be difficult. Each time a flock tests positive, government workers are required to euthanize the birds and interview the owners, which often leads investigators to other flocks where the process is repeated.

The virus is extremely contagious among birds.

Some foreign countries have placed bans on California poultry products, but Cooper said he believes exports account for only about 2 percent of the industry's business.

Smith said the expansion of the federal quarantine creates buffer zones around counties that have had confirmed cases of exotic Newcastle.

The disease has not been found in Imperial and Santa Barbara counties, but they were included in the quarantine because the disease has been found in Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

Kern County was not included in the quarantine because the Tehachapi Mountains there present a geographic buffer to the disease, Smith said.

Poultry and poultry products except eggs cannot be moved out of the quarantine area. Eggs must be sanitized and put in new packaging before being shipped out.



Sarasota Herald-Tribune - FL

Feds declare emergency, expand disease quarantine zone

By CHELSEA J. CARTER
Associated Press Writer

REF: http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030109&Category=APN&ArtNo=301090636&Ref=AR

A quarantine zone that aims to prevent the spread of Exotic Newcastle Disease has expanded to include all of Southern California after the federal and state governments declared a state of emergency.

The federal Department of Agriculture and Gov. Gray Davis made the declarations on Wednesday because of the threat to the California's $3 billion a year poultry industry. The declarations allow for the release of money and manpower to combat the disease that has required the slaughter of more than 1.2 million chickens since it was discovered at commercial farms in December.

Chickens in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Orange counties were quarantined in late December.

Santa Barbara, Ventura and Imperial counties were the latest added to the quarantine zone, although no infected commercial chickens have been found in those counties.

"The purpose is to create a buffer zone around Newcastle Disease-infected sites. It provides additional security against the spread of the disease," USDA spokesman Larry Hawkins said.

The quarantine prohibits the movement of all poultry, poultry products and nesting materials from Los Angeles County and portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Hawkins said. More than 9 million of the state's 12 million egg-laying hens are in the quarantine zone.

The disease spreads quickly among birds. Signs of the disease in birds include sneezing, coughing, gasping for air, drooping wings, muscular tremors, paralysis and sudden death.

Because the disease cannot be transmitted to humans, eggs are being sanitized and allowed to pass through the quarantine zone. California is the nation's third-largest egg producer.

Since the outbreak, Canada stopped all shipments of poultry and its products from California for 14 days. Mexico, the state's leading export market for poultry, called for a similar ban.

Despite the ban, the outbreak has had little effect on the industry, analysts said. Poultry and egg prices have remained stable.

"This isn't affecting the industry yet. We are still producing as many chickens and eggs as we've ever produced," said Bill Maddows of the California Poultry Federation.

The disease was first detected in backyard flocks in September. In December, it was found at commercial farms.

A task force made up of state and federal agriculture officials and scientists has been monitoring the outbreak since it was discovered. The task force also has been advising commercial farms on security measures.

Larry Cooper, a spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, said the task force had begun door-to-door checks in areas where infected backyard chickens were found and implemented weekly veterinarian checks at all commercial farms in the quarantine zone.

"The biggest issue is to move in quickly and keep it from spreading," said Cooper, adding that some inspectors are starting to check to northern areas.

In 1971, a major outbreak occurred in Southern California and threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply.

In all, 1,341 infected flocks were identified and almost 12 million birds were destroyed, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Last modified: January 09. 2003 3:20AM

Serving the Herald-Tribune newspaper and SNN Channel 6 © Sarasota Herald-Tribune. All rights reserved.



Ventura County Star - CA

County joins bird quarantine; help to fight outbreak on way

By T.J. Sullivan, sullivan@insidevc.com
January 9, 2003

REF: http://www.insidevc.com/vcs/county_news/article/0,1375,VCS_226_1661554,00.html

Ventura County bird owners were put on notice Wednesday that they must comply with the terms of a quarantine for exotic Newcastle disease, a restriction that could remain in effect through the summer and threaten competitions at the Ventura County Fair.

The notice came as both Gov. Gray Davis and the federal Department of Agriculture declared states of emergency because of an outbreak of the disease. After the state announced Ventura County was being added to the quarantine zone, the USDA said all of Southern California would be included, adding Santa Barbara and Imperial counties.

More than a million chickens already have been destroyed in the effort to combat the outbreak.

The first hints of END were discovered in October, when backyard chicken flocks in Southern California became infected. Ventura County joined the quarantine after a dead chicken was delivered last week to a veterinarian, who determined that it had died of END.

Officials have declined to identify in what community the Ventura County chicken was kept.

The quarantine prohibits the movement of birds, eggs, equipment or associated materials outside the quarantine zone. Birds affected by the quarantine include chickens, doves, ducks, geese, ostriches, peacocks, pigeons, turkeys and swans.

Caged birds, such as parakeets and parrots, are not included but could be included later because they are capable of transmitting the disease, officials said.

Failure to comply with the terms of the quarantine is punishable by civil penalties of up to $25,000.

The Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner's Office urged bird owners not to transport any birds.

"If you move a bird from one location to another, you may come into contact with another bird that has the disease," said David Buettner, Ventura County's chief deputy agricultural commissioner.

The disease can be spread in a variety of ways but is most easily transmitted through fecal matter, which can be carried on shoes and clothing, Buettner said.

Larry Cooper, a spokesman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture, said it is unknown how long the quarantine might remain in effect and that it could last through the summer, affecting county fair competitions.

"Until we really know the scope of this thing and what area's affected, we can't really determine how long it's going to last," Cooper said.

Davis said the disease has "the potential to wipe out the poultry industry." However, his office stressed that the disease does not pose a risk to humans, and that poultry and egg products are safe for consumption.

The emergency declarations clear the way for government assistance in the form of both dollars and people to help combat the outbreak.

A similar outbreak in the 1970s grew to threaten the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply and led authorities to destroy nearly 12 million chickens, many on Ventura County chicken farms, including Egg City in Moorpark.

It cost $56 million to eradicate the last outbreak of END from the state. It also contributed to the closure of Ventura County's egg farms, none of which is still in business.

Poultry is a $1 billion industry in California, the fifth-largest egg-producing state in the nation, Cooper said. California has 24 million egg-laying hens, many in the quarantine zone.

A 24-hour information hot line has been set up at (800) 491-1899. The state's Emergency Operations Center can be reached during regular business hours at (562) 795-1940. More information can be found at the state Department of Food and Agriculture's Web site, www.cdfa.ca.gov, by clicking on the photograph of the rooster.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this story.



United Press International

Newcastle quarantine extended in SoCal

By Hil Anderson
From the National Desk
Published 1/9/2003 1:32 AM

REF: http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030109-013109-6188r

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Agriculture officials extended the quarantine against chickens that might be afflicted with Exotic Newcastle disease to eight Southern California counties Wednesday while officials in Washington state asked that its residents be on the lookout for signs the disease was spreading to other western states.

While Exotic Newcastle poses no threat to humans, it can quickly decimate poultry flocks and has been spreading quickly among chicken farms from San Diego to Santa Barbara.

"Exotic Newcastle is a devastating bird illness that has the potential to wipe out the poultry industry," California Gov. Gray Davis said Wednesday in declaring a state of emergency in Southern California.

More than 1 million chickens have been destroyed since Exotic Newcastle was discovered on a commercial egg farm in December. At the time, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, and San Diego Counties were placed under quarantine. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) added Santa Barbara, Imperial, Orange and Ventura Counties to the list late Wednesday as a precaution against the disease spreading farther.

"The expanded quarantine creates a buffer zone around infected sites and provides additional security against spread of the disease," the Agriculture Department said in a release. "To do this, additional quarantines are immediately being imposed on non-infected counties adjacent to those counties infected with disease through the declaration of extraordinary emergency issued by the USDA today."

A virus that is often spread through commercial chicken farms by feather mites and dust from droppings, can incubate in only a three-day time period causes exotic Newcastle. The disease acts so quickly and is so devastating that chickens often drop dead after showing no outward signs of infection or malaise.

The virus is not harmful to humans, so eggs and poultry products are considered safe to eat, although California officials have ordered that eggs be thoroughly washed and packed in new sanitary containers before being shipped out of the quarantined counties.

The Agriculture Department said a task force of more than 600 state and federal workers was tackling the outbreak.

"Employees are working to prevent the further spread of the disease through a series of actions including identifying flocks, imposing quarantines, euthanizing and disposing of birds when appropriate, and cleaning and disinfecting infected sites, as well as providing educational resources to the poultry industry and community residents," the agency said.

Exotic Newcastle is not considered a threat to water fowl and other wild birds, although the state of Washington Wednesday night urged that any shipments of "wild fowl" into the state from California or Mexico be reported to the state veterinarian's office.

"We want to test the birds to ensure that they do not carry disease," said State Veterinarian Dr. Robert Mead. "Sick or dead birds must be tested to confirm Exotic Newcastle Disease because signs of the virus mimic other bird diseases. State or federal veterinarians will work with private veterinarians at no charge to the owner to collect samples for testing."

Copyright © 2001-2003 United Press International



KTVU - LA Daily News

Feds Expand Disease Quarantine Zone
POSTED: 6:03 p.m. PST January 8, 2003

REF: http://www.ktvu.com/news/1878303/detail.html

REF: http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200%257E20954%257E1097206,00.html

LOS ANGELES -- The federal Department of Agriculture on Wednesday expanded the quarantine zone for Exotic Newcastle Disease to include all of Southern California and declared a state of emergency because of the threat to the state's $3 billion a year poultry industry.

The federal announcement came hours after Gov. Gray Davis declared a state of emergency, releasing money and manpower to combat the disease that has required the slaughter of more than 1.2 million chickens since it was discovered at commercial farms in December.

Chickens in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Orange counties were quarantined in late December.

Santa Barbara, Ventura and Imperial counties were the latest added to the quarantine zone, although no infected commercial chickens have been found in those counties.

"The purpose is to create a buffer zone around Newcastle Disease-infected sites. It provides additional security against the spread of the disease," USDA spokesman Larry Hawkins said.

The quarantine prohibits the movement of all poultry, poultry products and nesting materials from Los Angeles County and portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Hawkins said.

Because the disease cannot be transmitted to humans, eggs are being sanitized and allowed to pass through the quarantine zone.

California is the nation's third-largest egg producer. More than 9 million of the state's 12 million egg-laying hens are in the quarantine zone.

Since the outbreak, Canada stopped all shipments of poultry and its products from California for 14 days. Mexico, the state's leading export market for poultry, called for a similar ban.

Despite the ban, the outbreak has had little effect on the industry, analysts said. poultry and egg prices have remained stable.

"This isn't affecting the industry yet. We are still producing as many chickens and eggs as we've ever produced," said Bill Maddows of the California Poultry Federation.

The disease was first detected in backyard flocks in September.

In December, it was found at commercial farms in Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. Backyard chickens infected with Newcastle also were found in Los Angeles County.

A task force made up of state and federal agriculture officials and scientists has been monitoring the outbreak since it was discovered. The task force also has been advising commercial farms on security measures.

"The biggest issue is to move in quickly and keep it from spreading," said Larry Cooper, a spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Cooper said the task force had begun door-to-door checks in areas where infected backyard chickens were found and implemented weekly veterinarian checks at all commercial farms in the quarantine zone.

"We're also starting to send some survey crews to the northern areas to make sure we haven't missed anything," he said.

Hawkins said the disease had not been detected at any commercial farm in more than a week. However, a backyard chicken in Ventura County tested positive for the disease, he said.

In 1971, a major outbreak occurred in Southern California and threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply.

In all, 1,341 infected flocks were identified and almost 12 million birds were destroyed, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

The eradication program cost taxpayers $56 million and dramatically increased poultry prices. The disease was first diagnosed in California in 1950 among pheasants imported from Hong Kong.

The disease spreads quickly among birds. Signs of the disease in birds include sneezing, coughing, gasping for air, drooping wings, muscular tremors, paralysis and sudden death.

Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



Boston.com - MA, Sarasota Herald-Tribune - FL, Miami Herald - FL, ABC News

Calif. governor, federal officials declare emergency over disease threatening poultry

By Chelsea J. Carter, Associated Press, 1/8/2003 23:12

REF: http://boston.com/dailynews/008/economy/Calif_governor_federal_officia:.shtml
REF: http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030108&Category=APF&ArtNo=301081131&Ref=AR
REF: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/business/4903103.htm
REF: http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Business/ap20030108_2310.html

LOS ANGELES (AP) Gov. Gray Davis and the federal Department of Agriculture declared states of emergency Wednesday over an outbreak of a disease threatening the state's $3 billion poultry industry.

The federal declaration expanded the quarantine zone for Exotic Newcastle Disease to include all of Southern California. It came hours after Davis released money and manpower to combat the disease, which is harmless to humans but fatal in birds.

The outbreak has required the slaughter of more than 1.2 million chickens since it was discovered in December at the state's commercial farms.

In the 1970s, a statewide outbreak of the disease threatened the nation's poultry and egg supply and led authorities to destroy nearly 12 million chickens. Eradicating the disease cost $56 million.

The new outbreak was first discovered in September in backyard chicken flocks in Los Angeles County.

Chickens in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Orange counties were quarantined in late December. Santa Barbara, Ventura and Imperial counties were the latest added to the quarantine zone.

Because the disease cannot be transmitted to humans, eggs are being sanitized and allowed to pass through the quarantine zone.

Since the outbreak, Canada temporarily stopped all shipments of poultry and poultry products from California. Mexico, the state's leading export market for poultry, enacted a similar ban.

The outbreak has had little effect on the industry so far, analysts said. Poultry and egg prices have remained stable.



The Press-Enterprise - CA

No vaccine prevents Newcastle disease

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

01/08/2003

By LESLIE BERKMAN
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

REF: http://www.pe.com/business/local/PE_BIZ_nfbook08.58260.html

Aghast at the extermination of chickens in California's desperate effort to stop exotic Newcastle disease in its tracks, some people are asking why the chickens aren't being vaccinated instead.

Larry Hawkins, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said he wishes there were a vaccine good enough to shield a chicken from the fast-spreading virus but it doesn't exist.

Hawkins said vaccinations currently available for exotic Newcastle at best will merely reduce symptoms of the often-fatal disease. But infected birds that are symptomless can pass on the disease to healthy birds before anyone realizes what is happening.

"There is a much better chance of eradicating the disease through depopulation" of sick and disease-exposed birds so healthy flocks will be saved, Hawkins said.

As of Tuesday, about 1.2 million commercial and backyard birds had been euthanized in Southern California in the high-stakes campaign to save the region's egg industry.

• Leslie Berkman covers agriculture for The Press-Enterprise. Phone: (909) 893-2111. Fax: (909) 734-2518. E-mail: lberkman@pe.com



The Press-Enterprise - CA

Inland counties declare emergency over poultry
REGION: The two counties also ask for state and federal declarations on Newcastle disease.

01/08/2003

By DAVID SEATON and IMRAN GHORI
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

REF: http://www.pe.com/breakingnews/local/PE_NEWS_naeggs08.f8ed.html

San Bernardino and Riverside counties on Tuesday declared states of emergency because of exotic Newcastle disease that threatens the region's egg-laying industry.

The declarations also ask the governor to proclaim states of emergency for the counties of Riverside and San Bernardino and to seek a federal declaration from the president, clearing the way for state and federal aid for affected agencies and businesses.

The virus is causing significant economic losses to local businesses, officials said. More than 1 million egg-laying chickens in San Bernardino and Riverside counties have been infected by the disease and have been targeted for destruction.

The state has declared a regional quarantine in San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties.

Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster said declaring a local crisis may not go far enough. He asked the county's agricultural commissioner to investigate ways the county can clamp down on the problem.

An emergency ordinance to punish people who move poultry in violation of the quarantine may be needed, Buster said. And the county knows there is an underground cock-fighting industry that may contribute to the spread of the disease, which is lethal in poultry but harmless to humans.

"I hope it's not too late," Buster said. "There may be much of Riverside County already infected."

Riverside County is the state's top egg-producer. The local industry was valued at $56.2 million in 2001 when chickens laid more than 1.7 billion eggs, said John Snyder, deputy agricultural commissioner, said.

Calling the state of emergency will also help relax state regulations to eradicate the infectious disease. For instance, landfills need to be accessible during closed hours to discard killed birds, county officials said.

David Seaton can reached by email at dseaton@pe.com.



KGTV - CA

State Declares Emergency In Poultry Crisis
Exotic Newcastle Disease Has Forced Quarantine

POSTED: 3:26 p.m. PST January 8, 2003
UPDATED: 3:50 p.m. PST January 8, 2003

REF: http://www.thesandiegochannel.com/news/1877972/detail.html

SAN DIEGO -- Gov. Gray Davis declared a state of emergency Wednesday in San Diego and other Southern California areas hit by an avian disease that affects commercial and backyard poultry flocks.

"Exotic Newcastle disease is a devastating bird illness that has the potential to wipe out the poultry industry," Davis said from Sacramento.

The emergency declaration enables state agencies to pool resources. Davis directed the agriculture secretary and emergency services director to work together to stop the disease's spread and "eradicate it as quickly as possible."

Late last month, the disease was discovered at a commercial egg ranch in Ramona, prompting a local quarantine banning the movement of poultry and poultry products. Eggs are an exception, but must be sanitized and repackaged.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors ratified a local emergency declaration Tuesday.

"This disease has destroyed millions of dollars worth of chickens," said Supervisor Bill Horn, whose district includes most of the county's egg farms.

The local outbreak followed others. Quarantines are in effect in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Orange counties.

Since the disease was discovered in Los Angeles in October, more than 1.2 million birds in Southern California have been ordered destroyed, including 73,000 at the Ramona ranch where Exotic Newcastle was confirmed Dec. 29.

The disease doesn't affect humans, but is deadly to chickens and other poultry.

San Diego County ranks No. 2 in egg production in the state, and its agricultural industry already has been hard hit by a quarantine on produce in the Valley Center area due to a fruit fly infestation.



Boston.com, MA, Times Daily, AL, ABC News, Guardian, UK,

Calif. governor declares emergency over disease threatening poultry industry
By Associated Press, 1/8/2003 17:42 - Appeared in Many Sources

REF: http://boston.com/dailynews/008/economy/Calif_governor_declares_emerge:.shtml
REF: http://www.timesdaily.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030108&Category=APA&ArtNo=301081032&Ref=AR
REF: http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20030108_2034.html
REF: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-2306226,00.html

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) Gov. Gray Davis declared states of emergency Wednesday in six counties over an outbreak of a disease threatening the state's $3 billion poultry industry.

The declaration came a day after Riverside and San Bernardino counties asked the governor and President Bush to proclaim states of emergency that would clear the way for financial aid for affected businesses.

The governor's declaration covers those counties along with Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange and Ventura.

Exotic Newcastle Disease, which is harmless to humans but fatal in birds, was discovered in September in backyard chicken flocks in Los Angeles County. Agriculture officials have ordered more than a million chickens destroyed.

A statewide outbreak of the disease in the 1970s threatened the nation's poultry and egg supply and led authorities to destroy nearly 12 million chickens. Eradicating the disease cost $56 million.

The state has quarantined birds in five of the counties covered by Wednesday's declaration.



Piedmonter, CA,

Governor declares emergency over outbreak of poultry disease
Posted on Wed, Jan. 08, 2003

Associated Press - Appeared in Several Sources with Slight Variations

REF: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/4898891.htm

RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Gov. Gray Davis declared a state of emergency Wednesday over the Southern California outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease, which threatens the state's $3 billion poultry industry.

The action came a day after the boards of supervisors in Riverside and San Bernardino counties asked the governor and President Bush to proclaim states of emergency that would clear the way for financial aid for affected businesses.

The emergency declaration by Davis also allows state agencies to pool resources to work with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to eradicate the disease.

"Exotic Newcastle Disease is a devastating bird illness that has the potential to wipe out the poultry industry," Davis said in a written statement from Sacramento.

The disease is harmless to humans but fatal to birds.

The outbreak was first discovered in September in backyard chicken flocks in Los Angeles County. Thus far, agriculture officials have ordered more than a million chickens destroyed after finding diseased poultry in other areas.

A statewide outbreak of the disease in the 1970s threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply and led authorities to destroy nearly 12 million chickens. It cost $56 million to eradicate the disease.

The state has declared a regional quarantine in San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties. Authorities were considering whether to add Ventura County to the regulated area.



San Jose Biz Journals - CA

Davis declares chicken emergency

REF: http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2003/01/06/daily49.html

California Gov. Gray Davis has declared a state of emergency for six Southern California counties where outbreaks of "exotic Newcastle disease" are plaguing poultry populations. Over a million birds have been killed in an effort to stop spread of the highly contagious, often fatal, avian disease.

As it spreads northward, the state's entire $3 billion poultry industry could be threatened, state officials have said. Already, Mexico and Canada have banned imports of all California poultry.

Commercial flocks and backyard birds have been diagnosed with the disease. Quarantines are in place in San Diego, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura and Orange counties.

Commercial poultry producers within quarantine zones must comply with a mandatory reporting system that identifies increased mortality, decreased egg production or any clinical symptoms suggestive of the disease.

Poultry and poultry products may not be moved from quarantined counties. Eggs may be moved only after they are washed, sanitized and packed in new materials.

The disease does not pose a risk to human health; poultry and egg products are safe to consume, state officials say.

The emergency declaration will enable state agencies to pool resources and work cooperatively with the California Department of Food and Agriculture in addressing the response to the incident. Emergency declarations are the customary means for the state to streamline such responses.

© 2003 American City Business Journals Inc.



The Los Angeles Times - CA

January 8, 2003

Bad for Chickens, Good for Some Egg Farmers
For smaller California producers, a poultry virus may be their way out

By Melinda Fulmer, Times Staff Writer

REF: http://www.latimes.com/la-fi-egg8jan08,0,791487.story

LAKEVIEW -- Donning a paper biohazard suit and plastic booties, Paul Bahan steps over a thin plastic tape that serves as the last line of defense for the 600,000-plus hens at his AAA Egg Farms.

Bahan and other big egg producers in Southern California have put their farms on virtual lockdown, barring visitors, washing down trucks and disinfecting employees to keep their birds safe from exotic Newcastle disease.

The deadly virus has led state officials to order the destruction of about 1.2 million chickens in recent weeks and prompted the California Department of Food and Agriculture to draft a request to the governor for disaster assistance.

The virus is "a tremendous problem" because it can spread so easily, Bahan said. "This stuff is microscopic. It's hardy. It sticks on tires, shoes and the hair in your nose."

Yet as hard as Bahan and other big farmers are fighting to stave off the disease -- which is harmful only to birds, not humans -- industry observers say exotic Newcastle could be a blessing for many smaller California egg producers who are deeply in debt after four money-losing years.

That's because the state has agreed to compensate egg operations for the losses they suffer when they're ordered by agriculture officials to destroy their flocks. The state is paying farmers $2 to $5 per chicken, based on the bird's age.

Observers say that for many longtime farmers who no longer have any desire to remain in the industry -- and have no buyers in sight -- this could be a way out, albeit a grim one.

"They'd be crying all right, crying all the way to the bank," if their chickens were stricken, said one poultry producer who asked not to be named.

Alan Armstrong, an egg farmer in Valley Center in San Diego County with about 800,000 hens, agrees. "If you had a small flock and this hit you," he said, "you'd definitely consider getting out."

Bill Cramer's family owns the Lake Mathews-area farm in Riverside County that was the first commercial facility to be hit by exotic Newcastle disease. After having to destroy 75,000 birds, he and his father are considering selling the ranch, perhaps to real estate developers.

"If it wasn't this," Cramer said, "it would be a matter of time before we'd be shutting down some of these older farms anyway."

The reason for the grim outlook is simple: Supply has outstripped demand.

A glut of eggs from huge factory farms in the Midwest has pushed egg prices down precipitously for the last four years.

While the retail price of eggs in California has hardly budged over much of the last decade, the wholesale price has plunged 40% to 39 cents a dozen since peaking in 1996, according to Don Bell, emeritus poultry specialist with UC Riverside.

In 2002, California farmers on average lost about 6 cents for each dozen eggs that they produced.

"This could be a pivotal year," said Doug Kuney, a UC farm advisor. "You can't go forever without a positive income."

Adding to the pressure is the fact that many in the egg industry have reached retirement age, having entered the business when California was adding about 1 million birds a year during the 1950s and '60s.

Back then, recalled Lee Schrader, an emeritus agricultural economist at Purdue University, California was the industry's innovator, building state- of-the-art hen houses and packing facilities.

Not anymore. Higher land costs and other expenses, as well as increased regulation, have left little money for California producers to update their farms and make them more efficient.

The state's egg industry, which reached its peak of 42 million hens in 1971, when the last outbreak of exotic Newcastle hit, has since shrunk by half to about 22 million birds.

After once producing so many eggs that it had to ship its excess to surrounding states, California now is in an egg-deficit position, importing a third of what residents here consume from farms in Iowa and other parts of the Midwest.

What the industry needs to thrive, experts say, is a reduction in the overall number of egg farms. But so far, Midwestern farmers have been unwilling to scale back for fear of losing customers. And because they are more cost-efficient than their California counterparts, they can afford to hang on longer.

About 17 egg operations in California have gone under since 1996. Others have stayed afloat by selling off land or equipment, but farm consultants say many are running out of tricks and warn that only the largest ranches will survive.

"I think we will see continued consolidation of what's left," Bell said.

Meanwhile, the assault against exotic Newcastle will continue.

To prevent a replay of the 1971 outbreak, which led to the destruction of 12 million birds at a cost of $56 million, farmers are doing as much as they can to limit their risk.

Bahan, for instance, has closed down his retail shop, which sold eggs to locals, and has begun using bleach to hose off all trucks that enter his facility. He also is requiring employees to change clothes, don paper suits and rinse their feet every time they walk from across the farm's dusty parking lot to one of the farm's 17 massive hen houses.

If exotic Newcastle were to hit just one of Bahan's hen houses -- each with thousands of birds stacked in cages four high -- his entire 620,000-hen flock would have to be killed.

A producer as large as Bahan's AAA, which supplies most of the eggs for Stater Bros. Markets, probably would be able to recover and restock.

But smaller producers may well choose a different course, Bahan acknowledged.

Even without exotic Newcastle, "some of them are already in a position of questioning how much longer they can continue," he said.

"This will knock some people out. No doubt about it."

Copyright 2003 Los Angeles Times



Los Angeles Times - Inland Valley Voice

County calls for state of emergency
San Bernardino takes step toward seeking financial assistance for ranches affected by disease.

By Buck Wargo, Inland Valley Voice

REF: http://www.latimes.com/la-ivo-bird08jan08,0,2219648.story

SAN BERNARDINO -- The County Board of Supervisors declared a state of emergency Tuesday to seek state and federal help with a deadly bird virus.

Fire Chief Peter Hills said the primary purpose of the declaration is to open doors to financial assistance available to chicken ranchers coping with exotic Newcastle disease.

The disease, which does not infect humans, will result in the destruction of 1 million chickens at a Fontana egg farm. The fast-spreading ailment has yet to strike any other commercial poultry operations in San Bernardino County, but it still concerns local authorities, Hills said.

"The county sees this as having a significant impact on the poultry industry," Hills said.

Farmers and bird owners whose animals are destroyed by state and federal officials already receive the market price for the birds. They receive no compensation for lost business.

The next step is for Gov. Gray Davis to declare a state of emergency and forward a request for help to the federal government.

The emergency declaration also helps the state assign more staff to handle the outbreak.

State Department of Food and Agriculture officials said Tuesday that the disease has not spread any farther in San Bernardino County. San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties are under quarantine. Agricultural officials said the quarantine could be extended to Ventura County.

San Bernardino County Battalion Chief Marc Peebles said the declaration also enables the county to receive financial assistance if necessary, including costs for code enforcement and disposal at a county landfill. The birds are slated to be disposed of at Mid-Valley landfills in Rialto and Peebles.

"We don't know what kind of assistance is out there and what will be needed, but this allows us access to that route," Peebles said.

Copyright 2003 Los Angeles Times



The Bakersfield Californian

Agriculture almanac Jan. 8

REF: http://www.bakersfield.com/business/story/2425655p-2475063c.html

Around the state

* The Los Angeles and San Diego zoos and the San Diego Wild Animal Park have closed their aviaries to the public to prevent the spread of exotic Newcastle disease. The zoos are located in counties quarantined for the disease, which is deadly and highly contagious among birds, but poses no threat to humans.

* State agriculture officials have confirmed that a pet chicken, brought to a veterinarian in Ventura County, had exotic Newcastle disease. Officials are reviewing the information and may add the county to the quarantine zone, which now includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. There are no commercial flocks in Ventura County -- producers abandoned the county during the last Newcastle outbreak in the 1970s.



North County Times - CA

County declare emergency for poultry disease
ROB O'DELL
Staff Writer

REF: http://www.nctimes.net/news/2003/20030108/62628.html

RIVERSIDE ---- The county Board of Supervisors declared a local emergency because of the outbreak of a contagious disease affecting poultry, which threatens the county's egg and poultry industries valued at about $56 million.

Exotic Newcastle Disease, which is deadly to poultry but cannot be contracted by humans, was first detected in backyard flocks in October but has spread to commercial flocks in Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties, resulting in the killings of more than 1 million birds on commercial farms in Riverside and San Bernardino counties alone.

Riverside County is the top egg-producing county in the state, with many of its commercial farms located in the San Jacinto, Nuevo, Hemet and Perris areas. There are no large commercial farms in Southwest Riverside County, county officials said.

"This is an extremely serious situation that threatens the entire industry," said Supervisor Bob Buster. "We need more than a state of emergency ... I hope it's not too late."

After a motion by Buster, the board voted unanimously to declare the state of emergency and to ask the county's agriculture commissioner, James Wallace, to come back to the board next week with new ideas on how the county can prevent the movement of birds into and out of the county. Buster suggested a larger program where the agriculture commissioner would work with code enforcement and law enforcement to prevent the movement of birds.

A quarantine imposed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture prohibits the movement of all poultry, poultry products and nesting materials from Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego counties.

Buster, along with fellow Supervisor John Tavaglione, blamed the spread of the disease in part on illegal cock-fighting that Buster said has been a problem in the area for a long time. He even suggested that the agriculture commissioner seek the advice of the county's attorney for the possibility of setting up new sanctions for anyone caught moving birds into or out of the quarantine zone.

The state of emergency does not provide any immediate relief, said county spokesman Ray Smith. But it does serve as the catalyst for receiving state and/or federal assistance. In its declaration, the county asks Gov. Gray Davis to proclaim a state of emergency and asks that he further request that President Bush do the same.

Smith said the declaration allows the dead chickens to be buried in landfills. Smith said state law regulates what can be put in landfills, and the county state of emergency provides an exception to that regulation.

Contact staff writer Rob O'Dell at (909) 676-4315, Ext. 2626 or at rodell@californian.com.

1/8/03



The Press-Enterprise - CA

Inland counties declare emergency over poultry
REGION: The two counties also ask for state and federal declarations on Newcastle disease.

01/08/2003

By DAVID SEATON and IMRAN GHORI
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

REF: http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_NEWS_naeggs08.f8ed.html

San Bernardino and Riverside counties on Tuesday declared states of emergency because of exotic Newcastle disease that threatens the region's egg-laying industry.

The declarations also ask the governor to proclaim states of emergency for the counties of Riverside and San Bernardino and to seek a federal declaration from the president, clearing the way for state and federal aid for affected agencies and businesses.

The virus is causing significant economic losses to local businesses, officials said. More than 1 million egg-laying chickens in San Bernardino and Riverside counties have been infected by the disease and have been targeted for destruction.

The state has declared a regional quarantine in San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties.

Riverside County Supervisor Bob Buster said declaring a local crisis may not go far enough. He asked the county's agricultural commissioner to investigate ways the county can clamp down on the problem.

An emergency ordinance to punish people who move poultry in violation of the quarantine may be needed, Buster said. And the county knows there is an underground cock-fighting industry that may contribute to the spread of the disease, which is lethal in poultry but harmless to humans.

"I hope it's not too late," Buster said. "There may be much of Riverside County already infected."

Riverside County is the state's top egg-producer. The local industry was valued at $56.2 million in 2001 when chickens laid more than 1.7 billion eggs, said John Snyder, deputy agricultural commissioner, said.

Calling the state of emergency will also help relax state regulations to eradicate the infectious disease. For instance, landfills need to be accessible during closed hours to discard killed birds, county officials said.

David Seaton can reached by email at dseaton@pe.com.

Imran Ghori can reached by email at ighori@pe.com.



The Press-Enterprise, CA and The Bakersfield Californian, CA

Pair of SoCal counties want financial aid for poultry disease

The Associated Press

REF: http://www.pe.com/ap_news/California/CA_Exotic_Newcastle_Disease_94083C.shtml
REF: http://www.bakersfield.com/state_wire/story/2430102p-2478961c.html

RIVERSIDE

Riverside and San Bernardino counties have declared states of emergency because of the outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease, which threatens the region's poultry industry.

The declarations approved Tuesday by both counties' Board of Supervisors ask Gov. Gray Davis and President Bush to proclaim states of emergency that would clear the way for financial aid for affected businesses.

The disease is harmless to humans but fatal to birds. Agriculture officials have ordered more than a million chickens destroyed after finding new cases of the disease. The outbreak was discovered in September in backyard chicken flocks in Los Angeles County.

The state has declared a regional quarantine in San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties. Authorities were considering whether to add Ventura County to the regulated area.

A statewide outbreak of the disease in the 1970s threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply and led authorities to destroy nearly 12 million chickens. It cost $56 million to eradicate the disease.

Riverside County is the state's top egg-producer. The local industry was valued at $56.2 million in 2001 when chickens laid more than 1.7 billion eggs, said John Snyder, the county's deputy agricultural commissioner.

Published: Wednesday, January 8, 2003 01:55 PST



Salisbury Daily Times, MD

Delmarva poultry industry unaffected by Avian Flu

By John Vandiver
Daily Times Staff Writer

REF: http://www.dailytimesonline.com/news/stories/20030108/localnews/730455.html

SALISBURY -- Though last year's Avian Flu outbreak wreaked havoc on the poultry business in Virginia, industry officials say farmers on the Lower Shore made it through the year without a single chicken infected.

Bill Satterfield, executive director of Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc., said what costs local farmers did incur where the result of increased efforts in biosecurity.

"There was increased washing and disinfecting of trucks passing through infected areas, but it's hard to put a dollar figure on that," he said.

Avian influenza -- a low-level pathogen that does not harm humans -- is highly contagious to poultry and can be carried via people or vehicles that have visited infected farms. The disease spread through large portions of the Shenandoah Valley last year, beginning in March and tapering off in August.

About 5 million birds were slaughtered in Virginia, according to Richard Lobb, a spokesman for the National Chicken Council. He said 197 farms -- 153 turkey farms, 42 chicken farms and two egg farms -- were infected, with an estimated loss of about $140 million.

Virginia Gov. Mark Warner has allotted $1.5 million in indemnity for Shenandoah Valley farmers who lost flocks to the avian flu.

In Southern California there has been a break out of another disease -- Exotic Newcastle Disease -- which has led officials to quarantine poultry operations in the region. Lobb said it is unlikely that the disease could be transmitted to the Delmarva Peninsula.

Last May, DPI executives canceled the trade association's annual festival that promotes Delmarva's chicken industry because of concerns that growers could spread the disease.

This year's event is scheduled to take place in Dover on June 20 and 21.

Officials from Perdue Farms Inc. said preventive biosecurity initiatives will continue to be used to help keep the virus off the peninsula.

Still, there are limits to what farmers can do to protect flocks from the virus, which can be transmitted through a variety of sources.

Carole Morison, executive director of Delmarva Poultry Justice Alliance, said while it is important to take preventative measures, the fate of many farmers is up to chance.

"Pretty much all we can do is restrict people from coming on the farm. That's about it," she said.

Reach John Vandiver at 410-749-7171, Ext. 242, or jvandiver@smgpo.gannett.com. Originally published Wednesday, January 8, 2003



Sarasota Herald-Tribune - FL

Pair of SoCal counties want financial aid for poultry disease

The Associated Press

REF: http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030108&Category=APN&ArtNo=301080653&Ref=AR

Riverside and San Bernardino counties have declared states of emergency because of the outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease, which threatens the region's poultry industry.

The declarations approved Tuesday by both counties' Board of Supervisors ask Gov. Gray Davis and President Bush to proclaim states of emergency that would clear the way for financial aid for affected businesses.

The disease is harmless to humans but fatal to birds. Agriculture officials have ordered more than a million chickens destroyed after finding new cases of the disease. The outbreak was discovered in September in backyard chicken flocks in Los Angeles County.

The state has declared a regional quarantine in San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties. Authorities were considering whether to add Ventura County to the regulated area. A statewide outbreak of the disease in the 1970s threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply and led authorities to destroy nearly 12 million chickens. It cost $56 million to eradicate the disease.

Riverside County is the state's top egg-producer. The local industry was valued at $56.2 million in 2001 when chickens laid more than 1.7 billion eggs, said John Snyder, the county's deputy agricultural commissioner.

Last modified: January 08. 2003 4:55AM



San Bernardino County Sun - CA
Daily Bulletin - CA
Three counties declare state of emergency to fight disease
By LISA C. BERGHOUSE, Staff Writer

REF: http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208%257E12588%257E1095327,00.html
REF: http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203%257E21481%257E1095506,00.html

To combat a disease which could destroy the state's poultry industry, San Bernardino, San Diego and Los Angeles counties each declared a state of emergency Tuesday.

Over 1.3 million chickens have been killed in the last week because they were exposed to the highly contagious exotic Newcastle disease.

The three counties' declarations could possibly lead to the governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture doing the same.

A declaration by the federal agency will make it easier to designate funding for the region.

"The state seems to understand issues like this,' said Dennis Hansberger, newly appointed chairman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors. "I think they will grant our request."

Gov. Gray Davis is expected to hear the request to declare a state of emergency in the next few days, a state Department of Food and Agriculture official said. In the last week roughly 600 people have investigated 4,700 locations and found about 1,100 contaminated sites, officials for the state agency said.

About 43,000 of those birds were found in back yards, said the agency's spokesman Larry Cooper.

Egg and poultry farmers will receive a fair market value for the chickens that are killed.

Newcastle disease is not a danger to humans, but it can easily wipe out entire populations of fowl, including chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, grouse, partridges, pheasants, quail, guinea fowl, peafowl and others.

"The poultry industry, just in the state of California, has been estimated at $1.2 (billion) to $1.3 billion,' said Larry Hawkins of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"We must take action now to control this disease and prevent permanent damage to the industry,' said Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich.

The disease was first found in a back yard in Los Angeles County in September.

A regional quarantine has been placed on San Bernardino, Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside counties Nov. 13. Orange County was added Dec. 30, Hawkins said.

"The quarantine won't be lifted until there is absolute certainty there is no sign of the disease,' Cooper said.

The disease spreads easily through manure and is transmitted bird to bird through secretions through the birds' noses, mouth and eyes.

Copyright © 2002 San Bernardino County Sun
Los Angeles Newspaper Group



LA Daily News - CA

Disease not only problem for store
By Naush Boghossian
Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: Tuesday, January 07, 2003 - 8:01:51 PM MST

REF: http://www.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,200%7E20949%7E1095010,00.html?search=filter#

CANYON COUNTRY -- The Feed Bin in Canyon Country, a throwback to the Santa Clarita Valley's more rural days, is closing after an outbreak of Newcastle disease among poultry sold there.

The store will close Jan. 31, badly hurt by the outbreak and suffering a steady decline in business as Santa Clarita housing tracts replaced the old ranches that once thrived here, said owner Lance Willis.

"There are 300 new homes going up, and I don't think you'll find chickens and goats there," Willis said of one nearby development.

The decision to close came last month after several chickens at the feed and grain store mysteriously became ill and one died on Dec. 12. Store workers called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which confirmed the presence of the contagious and fatal viral disease that affects all species of birds.

The CDC shut down his store for two weeks while about 30 men in white hazmat suits removed about 150 chickens, ducks, geese and other birds, and about $90,000 in feed and hay. Only products in sealed plastic containers were permitted to remain on the property.

Now, the big red barn next to the store, once brimming with feed and bales of hay, stands empty, and a sign announcing 25 percent off all products greets shoppers.

Willis estimates he lost several hundred thousand dollars in business.

"The men in the suits were all over the property, and that was really helping business," Willis cracked. "I lost two weeks before Christmas, and it takes one or two months to restock the whole place."

While the diseased chickens precipitated the owner's decision to shut down, declining business over the years strengthened his resolve.

"That was the icing on the cake. It was the effects of Newcastle disease, plus this area's changing," the Canyon Country resident said. "This business is marginal enough as it is, and it had run its course. There's probably something else better suited for this property."

Willis took over the 54-year-old business in July 2000 as an investment, with plans to expand the existing building by 3,000 square feet and add an animal barn and a new storage barn in the back.

He thought business would improve if he fixed up the place and upgraded the inventory.

"I was naive in assuming if the quality and quantity went up that we would get the business. I think we did, but business was steadily going down," Willis said.

The owner already had considered that the business eventually would have to change to carry products better suited for the people moving in to the new homes.

"Two and a half years later, one Newcastle disease and one City of Santa Clarita, and enough is enough," said Willis, who has decided to lease the nearly one-acre property.

Already, Santa Clarita Valley Golf Cars has leased part of the land, believing that nearby ranches will support the business.

Willis plans to donate some of the remaining products to the two nonprofit organizations he supports -- the Michael Hoefflin Foundation and the Santa Clarita Valley Boys & Girls Club.

With the Feed Bin closed, Fox Feed, located up the road, will be more than able to meet the needs of the local community, Willis said.

"It's called the 'END,' or exotic Newcastle disease, and now it is the end for us," Willis said.



Los Angeles Time - Ontario Section - CA

January 7, 2003

Inland Valley Voice

County: Avian virus hits crisis level
By Buck Wargo, Inland Valley Voice

REF: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/ontario/news/la-ivo-newcastle07jan07,0,7842788.story?coll=la%2Dtcn%2Dontario%2Dnews

FONTANA -- Saying it is unable to adequately cope with a deadly bird virus, San Bernardino County is preparing to declare a state of emergency in a move to seek federal and state assistance for the county and area chicken ranchers.

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors today will vote whether to ask Gov. Gray Davis to proclaim a state of emergency in the county and to forward the request to President Bush.

Later this week, the state Department of Food and Agriculture will ask Davis to declare an emergency for San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Los Angeles and Orange counties -- the five counties where a quarantine on birds and poultry products is in place, agency spokeswoman Leticia Rico said.

State and federal resources could be used to offset San Bernardino County's costs associated with stopping the fast-spreading exotic Newcastle disease and helping ranchers who sustain losses, said Tracey Martinez, a county Fire Department spokeswoman. The disease has been found in backyard chicken flocks across the Inland Valley and in a commercial egg farm in south Fontana where about 1 million chickens will be destroyed, she said.

"The county has incurred costs with its efforts of the public health and agricultural departments, but clearly the big victims are the farmers," San Bernardino County spokesman David Wert said. "They have suffered a great deal and it is the role of government to get them the assistance they need. That is probably the major thrust of this. Agriculture is still a significant part of this county's economy. The county does not have the resources to assist the private sector to the degree they need to be to get them back on their feet."

Riverside County is considering a similar declaration today in part to help ranchers become eligible for low-interest loans to recover from the loss of their chickens, said Bonnie Reed, Riverside County emergency services program coordinator.

Officials have killed more than 100,000 chickens at a ranch near Riverside and 75,000 chickens in San Diego County as well as about 43,000 backyard birds across Southern California.

Exotic Newcastle disease kills nearly 100% of birds infected, but poses no threat to people. People cannot become infected by eating birds or eggs.

Declaring a state of emergency could allow officials to alter the hours and disposal requirements at landfills; pave the way for state workers to help county eradication efforts; activate mutual aid agreements that allow local governments to assist one another; and help business owners obtain assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration, said Eric Lamoureux, spokesman for the state Office of Emergency Services.

It wasn't known Monday where the hens will be dumped in San Bernardino County. The remains in Riverside County were dumped at the El Sobrante Landfill near Corona, Reed said.

Inland Empire counties represent nearly 40% of the state's egg industry, producing about $82 million of the $235 million worth of eggs sold in 2001.

The state and federal governments pay ranchers and residents market value when hens and other birds are destroyed. Owners don't have to pay for the birds' disposal, Rico said.

Government money helps replace the birds but doesn't cover loss of business, said Mark Looker, a spokesman for the California Poultry Assn. Ranchers need to wait at least 30 days after a cleanup before bringing birds to a farm.

Poultry industry officials also are asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the state agriculture department for more staff to monitor the disease, Looker said.

U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman Larry Hawkins said staffing had been increased to more than 600 workers compared to 200 in recent weeks.

The ongoing monitoring of the disease by federal and state officials has some bird owners on edge.

Muscoy resident Bob LaMar said he will fight any attempt to destroy his birds unless they show signs of the disease. His property has been quarantined.

LaMar has 400 ducks, geese and doves, including some show birds. He also said he has federal and state permits to own endangered birds in an enclosure on his 3-acre homestead. His most valuable birds, a pair of Siberian geese, cost $1,200.

"It's really hitting the breeders very hard," LaMar said.

Agriculture spokeswoman Leticia Rico said the disease task force can seize birds, but officials will exhaust all steps to cooperate with an owner before obtaining a warrant.

Inland Valley Voice staff writer Matthew Chin contributed to this report.



KGTV, CA

Local State Of Emergency Declared Over Diseased Poultry
Exotic Newcastle Disease Discovered In Ramona Chickens

POSTED: 1:51 p.m. PST January 7, 2003
UPDATED: 1:59 p.m. PST January 7, 2003

REF: http://www.thesandiegochannel.com/news/1874912/detail.html

SAN DIEGO -- With the discovery of exotic Newcastle disease at a commercial egg ranch in Ramona and a quarantine on poultry in effect, San Diego County supervisors proclaimed a local emergency Tuesday.

The board ratified the local emergency proclamation that county Chief Administrative Officer Walt Ekard had signed last week.

The action enables the county and producers to ask for state and federal help.

A task force of state and federal officials charged with eradicating the disease late last week asked the federal government for $121 million in assistance and a federal declaration of emergency.

"This disease has destroyed millions of dollars worth of chickens," said Supervisor Bill Horn, whose district includes most of the county's egg farms.

"In the last two days alone, North County has lost $20 million that we can't recoup, at least right away," Horn said.

A quarantine that state officials placed across Southern California early last week bans the movement of poultry and poultry products. Eggs are an exception, but must be sanitized and repackaged.

San Diego County ranks No. 2 in egg production in the state, and its agricultural industry already has been hard hit by a quarantine on produce in the Valley Center area due to a fruit fly infestation.

Other poultry operations in the county were being closely monitored by the state for any signs of exotic Newcastle disease, which doesn't affect humans, but is deadly to chickens and other poultry.

Resurfacing for the first time since the 1970s, the disease was discovered in Los Angles County on Oct. 1, resulting in the destruction of 40,000 birds. Last week, the disease was found on a commercial ranch in Riverside, where 100,000 birds were destroyed.

A few days later it showed up on a chicken ranch in San Bernardino County, where more than 1 million birds are to be destroyed.

Copyright 2003 by TheSanDiegoChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



Rochester Agri News, MN

Business news and notes

Tuesday, January 7, 2003

REF: http://webstar.postbulletin.com/agrinews/276733561697978.bsp

SACRAMENTO -- Canada and Mexico have banned shipments of poultry and poultry products from California because of the outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease, the California Farm Bureau said.

The disease, which threatens the state's $3 billion poultry industry, is harmless to humans but fatal to birds.

State farm officials said Canada will stop all shipments of poultry and its products from California for 14 days. Mexico, the state's leading export market for poultry, also called for a similar ban.

The California Poultry Federation, which represents about 160 poultry farmers, was lobbying for the bans to be modified to include only six quarantined counties in Southern California.

Agriculture officials ordered more than a million chickens destroyed after finding new cases of the disease. The outbreak was discovered in September in backyard chicken flocks in Los Angeles County.

Meanwhile, Ventura County will join Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties with quarantine restrictions after the discovery of an exotic Newcastle infection there, state officials said.



The Press-Enterprise - CA

Bird disease to bring disaster declarations

NEWCASTLE: The Inland counties plan the actions in the hope of gaining federal and state help.

01/07/2003

By SHARON McNARY
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

REF: http://www.pe.com/localnews/sanbernardino/stories/PE_NEWS_nbbirds07.f768.html

SAN BERNARDINO - Supervisors in San Bernardino and Riverside counties are set to declare local emergencies today to get state and federal help containing exotic Newcastle disease in poultry flocks.

State authorities are in the process of destroying more than one 1 chickens and other birds in infected flocks in five Southern California counties, including San Bernardino and Riverside, where egg production is big business.

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is scheduled to ask the governor to declare a state of emergency and to seek a federal emergency declaration from the president. Such declarations can clear the way for affected agencies and businesses to get low-interest loans and other help.

Backyard poultry flocks in Southern California were diagnosed with exotic Newcastle disease Oct. 1. The disease is contagious and fatal to birds, harming their respiratory, nervous and digestive systems. It kills quickly, sometimes without observable symptoms, a U.S. Department of Agriculture report said.

The disease is harmless to humans, but people can carry it on their shoes if they walk from an infected poultry yard to an uninfected one. Major Southern California zoos have closed their walk-through bird displays.

Parts of San Bernardino and Riverside counties have been under a state-veterinarian quarantine, which prohibits the transportation of birds or poultry products (except sanitized eggs), since Nov. 13. A federal quarantine imposed later in November bars the interstate transportation of poultry.

Poultry farmers within the quarantine zone must report increased rates of poultry death, declining egg production and other symptoms that suggest presence of the disease.

Reach Sharon McNary at (909) 890-4453 or smcnary@pe.com



San Bernardino County Sun - CA

Poultry crisis worsens

County may enact state of emergency because of exotic Newcastle disease
By ALAN SCHNEPF, Staff Writer

Article Last Updated: Monday, January 06, 2003 - 11:33:03 PM MST

REF: http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208%257E12588%257E1093094,00.html

SAN BERNARDINO - San Bernardino County may declare a state of emergency today because of a virulent disease that is ravaging the region's egg industry.

Exotic Newcastle disease has already prompted agriculture officials to put a quarantine on poultry in western San Bernardino and Riverside counties and all of Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties.

The malady was discovered in October but kept out of large commercial egg ranches until the end of last month. Positive tests for the disease at commercial ranches in San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties forced officials to destroy more than 2 million chickens.

About 40,000 "backyard' birds have been destroyed at about 1,100 different sites.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors has already declared a state of emergency and Riverside and San Diego counties also are considering that action.

Greg Renick, a public information officer for the state Office of Emergency Services, said the declarations are usually a precursor to having an emergency declared at the state level. When that happens, state emergency coordinators can force agencies to help out with the situation, he said.

Renick declined to say which agencies will be recruited into the battle against exotic Newcastle if that emergency is declared.

"I don't want to speculate on what the proclamation from the governor is going to say,' Renick said. "Until he proclaims the state of emergency, I don't want to do anything other than speak generally.'

Although owners of birds that are destroyed to prevent the spread of the disease are compensated for their loss, exotic Newcastle could still have a big negative impact on the local economy.

San Bernardino Agriculture Commissioner Edouardo Laylaye said hens laid about 61 million eggs worth $26.1 million countywide in 2001. But nearly 25 percent of the county's flock was destroyed after infected birds were found at E&M Ranch in Fontana. More than a million chickens were destroyed.

Numerous foreign countries have temporarily banned exports of California poultry and eggs because of the disease.

Exotic Newcastle is easily transmitted from flock to flock. For example, a person who walks in the waste of an infected bird can transfer the disease by walking into another coop days later. An outbreak in the early 1970s was contained after workers destroyed about 12 million birds at a cost of $56 million.

Larry Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said he is not aware of any financial assistance that will become available by declaring a state of emergency. Federal and state money is being used to pay the more than 400-person task force set up to fight the disease. The ranks of that force are expected to swell because of exotic Newcastle's entrance into commercial flocks.



KNBC - Los Angeles, CA

Riverside Officials Ask For Local Emergency To Be Declared
Exotic Newcastle Disease Threatening Poultry Industry

POSTED: 12:34 p.m. PST January 6, 2003
UPDATED: 12:48 p.m. PST January 6, 2003

REF: http://www.nbc4.tv/news/1871882/detail.html

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Riverside County agricultural officials say the deadly virus spreading through California's egg-laying industry has spiraled out of control.

Riverside's agricultural commissioner is asking the Board of Supervisors to declare a local emergency Tuesday because of exotic Newcastle disease, and for the state and President George W. Bush to follow suit.

Exotic Newcastle disease is harmless to humans, but fatal to birds, making it a severe threat to the state's $3 billion poultry industry.

California is the nation's third-largest egg producer and Riverside County is the top egg-producer in the state.

An emergency declaration could lead to financial assistance for commercial egg ranches affected by the disease.

More than 1 million birds have already been destroyed. An initial raid was triggered by a discovery of some diseased birds at a nearby illegal cock-fighting operation.

Newcastle disease cannot be transmitted to humans and is not a threat to human public health.

Copyright 2003 by NBC4.tv. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


Sarasota Herald Tribune - FL

News briefs from Southern California

By The Associated Press

REF: http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030106&Category=APN&ArtNo=301060821&Ref=AR

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - Riverside County agricultural officials say they will ask the Board of supervisors to declare a local emergency Tuesday because of a deadly virus that is killing egg-laying chickens in several Southern California counties.

Similar declarations should be made by the state and President Bush, they said.

Exotic Newcastle Disease is harmless to humans, but fatal to birds, making it a severe threat to the state's $3 billion poultry industry.

California is the nation's third-largest egg producer and Riverside County is the top egg-producer in the state.

An emergency declaration could lead to financial assistance for commercial egg ranches affected by the disease.



Wisconsin Ag Connection - WI

California Poultry Won't be Exported After Outbreak
USAgNet Editors - 01/06/2003

REF: http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/story-national.cfm?Id=19&yr=2003

An outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease in California threatens shipments of poultry and poultry products to Canada and Mexico. Canadian officials said they would stop all shipments of poultry products from all of California for 14 days while Mexican officials are considering a similar ban.

The disease was first discovered in September and California agriculture officials say they have ordered more than 1 million chickens destroyed as a result. But that has not been sufficient to convince Canadian or Mexican officials California is controlling the spread of the disease.

California Poultry Federation officials are upset with the actions by the two countries. As it is, state officials expanded a quarantine area to include San Diego County after the virus was found in a commercial flock of 75,000 birds there.



The Press-Enterprise - CA

County may claim state of emergency
POULTRY: Newcastle disease may devastate Riverside County's commercial egg industry.

01/06/2003

By DAVID SEATON
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

REF: http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_NEWS_naeggs06.a136c.html

RIVERSIDE - The deadly virus spreading through the region's egg-laying industry has spiraled out of control, according Riverside County agricultural officials.

The county's agricultural commissioner is asking the Board of Supervisors to declare a local emergency Tuesday, and for the state and President Bush to follow suit.

Such action could lead to financial assistance for commercial egg ranches crippled by exotic Newcastle disease. Help could come in the form of low-interest loans. Such aid has been given to avocado farmers after windstorms and cattle ranchers during drought.

"It's going to be a huge economic impact on our county and we don't know what the federal government is going to do about that," said Bonnie Reed, emergency services program coordinator for the county. "There's that whole economic loss that affects the community when people aren't working."

Calling a state of emergency will also help relax state regulations to eradicate the infectious disease, Reed said. For instance, landfills need to be accessible during closed hours to discard killed birds, she said.

Riverside County is the state's top egg-producer. The local industry was valued at $56.2 million in 2001 when chickens laid more than 1.7 billion eggs, said John Snyder, deputy agricultural commissioner.

More than 100,000 chickens were killed at Orchard Egg Ranch outside Riverside, and another 1 million destroyed in San Bernardino County last month to slow the spread of Newcastle.

The disease devastated the poultry industry in 1974, when nearly 12 million birds had to be killed in Southern California at a cost of $56 million. San Diego County has already declared a local emergency and San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties are doing the same, Reed said.

The state Department of Agriculture has imposed a quarantine in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties and western Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Commercial poultry cannot be moved beyond the quarantine boundaries. Eggs can still be shipped outside the quarantine area once they are sanitized.

The quarantine also applies to other poultry species such as turkeys, ducks, quail, doves, pigeons, swans and ostriches. Newcastle is not harmful to humans.

The first positive test for Newcastle in Riverside County was Oct. 1 when it was found in backyard chickens. Some 40,000 backyard birds have been destroyed.

Reach David Seaton at (909) 368-9456 or dseaton@pe.com



United Press International

UPI Farming Today
By Gregory Tejeda
United Press International
From the Business & Economics Desk
Published 1/6/2003 1:15 AM

REF: http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030105-011503-5035r

Mexico, Canada won't take Calif. poultry

An outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease in California threatens shipments of poultry and poultry products to Canada and Mexico.

Canadian officials said they would stop all shipments of poultry products from all of California for 14 days while Mexican officials are considering a similar ban.

The disease was first discovered in September and California agriculture officials say they have ordered more than 1 million chickens destroyed as a result. But that has not been sufficient to convince Canadian or Mexican officials California is controlling the spread of the disease.

California Poultry Federation officials are upset with the actions by the two countries. They believe the disease has only affected poultry products from the six southernmost counties of California, and they have been pushing for the bans to be modified to include poultry only from that limited area.

As it is, state officials expanded a quarantine area to include San Diego County after the virus was found in a commercial flock of 75,000 birds there.

Orange County also is on the quarantine list even though no commercial poultry operations exist there. Officials say they are trying to prevent the potential transport of infected birds through the suburban Los Angeles.

The outbreak was discovered in September in backyard chicken flocks in Los Angeles County. Other counties affected by the disease include Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino.

California officials are trying to prevent a repeat of the statewide outbreak of the disease that occurred in the 1970s.

That outbreak ultimately threatened the entire poultry and egg supply in the United States and led officials to destroy nearly 12 million chickens, causing economic losses for poultry farmers and the industry totaling $56 million.

Copyright © 2001-2003 United Press International



North County Times - CA

Economy, not human life, is threat posed by Newcastle
BRUCE KAUFFMAN
Staff Writer

REF: http://www.nctimes.net/news/2003/20030105/11111.html

Officials are telling the public that the economy ---- not the health of human beings ---- is the threat posed by the relentlessly fatal Exotic Newcastle Disease that has led to the destruction of more than a million chickens in Southern California, including some 85,000 in North County.

The disease has led state and federal agriculture officials to seal off six counties ---- including San Diego County ---- from importing and exporting poultry and other fowl. At least one North County bird dealer has shut her doors.

At the same time, the more than $2.5 billion poultry industry in California took another blow as Canada and Mexico joined a list of countries barring the import of the state's birds and poultry products.

Poultry disease specialists say every species of bird is susceptible to the virus that causes Newcastle disease, though some birds appear to be able to carry it in their systems longer and show no symptoms.

'Absolutely' no threat to humans

Just because egg-producing hens and other birds are coming down with the Newcastle virus, people can not catch the disease, said both the county veterinarian and a state poultry adviser. Even eating the meat or eggs of a diseased chicken will not harm humans, they said.

In separate interviews last week as the disease spread for the first time to a farm in Ramona, the veterinarian, Kerry Mahoney, and the adviser, Douglas Kuney of the University of California, said that, like parvo or distemper in dogs, Newcastle is particular to birds.

"It is uniquely adapted to avian species, and not so to non-avian tissue," said Kuney, who has been monitoring the outbreak of the virus from an office at UC Riverside. "It poses absolutely no threat to human health."

Mahoney said the only known problem in humans has occurred in farmworkers who spend a lot of time "in close proximity" with the animals, and then the only effect was runny eyes that soon cleared up.

Imports barred

The countries of Japan, Taiwan, China, the Philippines and Tahiti are among those that joined neighbors Canada and Mexico in banning the import of California poultry. The governments of Canada and Mexico said their import prohibition will stay in effect at least another 12 days.

The dollar cost of it all is not clear. Veterinarian Mahoney said the economic consequences for the poultry industry could be "devastating." Eradication efforts alone after an outbreak in the early 1970s cost the state some $56 million. About 12 million birds were destroyed.

California is the nation's third largest egg producer. The poultry industry directly employs some 25,000 people in the state with a payroll of a quarter-billion dollars, according to the California Poultry Industry Federation, a trade group.

Since the fall, some 1.4 million birds on five Southern California farms have been ordered destroyed. About 85,000 were being euthanized last week after the first reported outbreak in San Diego County, at the Sylvester International farm on Old Julian Highway in Ramona.

The owner, Sylvester Feichtinger, who has two other farms and some 200,000 chickens in San Diego County, said it will be a year before he'll stock his farm again with chickens.

The state and federal governments will pay Feichtinger and other farmers at or near the fair market value for the chickens that are killed. Farmers will not be paid for future losses or the money that would have been made had production not been interrupted.

The poultry federation reports that the industry in 2000 produced a value of $51.3 million to farmers in San Diego County and $68.3 million in Riverside.

The outbreak in Ramona prompted officials to impose a quarantine on the entire county of San Diego. Also under quarantine ---- meaning no product is to be moved in or out of the area except for sanitized eggs ----- are Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange counties and the western parts of San Bernardino and Riverside counties.

Authorities added Ventura this week when a pet bird was found to have come down with the disease. In Riverside, the quarantined area includes Temecula, Wildomar, Murrieta, Lake Elsinore, Menifee and Hemet.

North County's commercial agricultural yield has been declining, but the region is still home to several chicken egg ranches, mainly in Ramona and Valley Center. The area also contains ostrich and emu farms. Those farmers have seemingly been optimistic their flocks will elude the disease. They have said the hardiness of their birds and the designs of their farms would prevent their animals from becoming infected.

Game cocks suspected

This round of the disease was first detected on Oct. 1 in a backyard flock in Compton. Officials said fighting cocks bred for show were kept there. Kuney said officials have since found the disease in pigeons that people keep as pets.

Officials are not sure how the virus traveled around Southern California, but it easily spreads as it gets on people's shoes and clothes and on their vehicles, especially tires. A Web site maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture notes that smuggled birds, such as Amazon parrots, pose a "great risk" of bringing the disease into the United States. Those parrots may shed the virus for more than 400 days without showing any symptoms.

Heeding a call for "bio-security," farms in San Diego County have been disinfecting cars and trucks as they enter and leave. Veterinarian Mahoney said that people who must visit farms should be at only one poultry ranch a day.

Within flocks, Exotic Newcastle Disease spreads quickly in mucus and feces, specialists say. If a few birds in a commercial flock get it, every bird will probably need to be destroyed. Though some birds can carry it a long time without showing the symptoms ---- including sneezing, gasping for breath, runny nose, coughing, muscle tremor and drooping wings ---- Newcastle is "usually fatal" to all birds that are exposed to it, Mahoney said.

The federal agriculture department has called Exotic Newcastle a disease "so virulent" that many birds die without showing any clinical signs. It pegs the death rate at "almost 100 percent" in unvaccinated poultry flocks.

UC's Kuney said the vaccine does not stop the disease, but only slows its growth. He said there's no treatment and no cure for the disease.

Federal agriculture officials say the Newcastle virus can survive several weeks in warm, humid environments and live "indefinitely" in frozen material. Dehydration and exposure to the ultraviolet rays in sunlight can destroy it.

According to the San Diego County veterinarian, the presence of Newcastle is detected in what's called a "hemoglutination" test in the laboratory. Embryonic chicken eggs are inoculated with a substance drawn from swabs of different organs from the suspect fowl.

After two or three days, fluid is extracted from the inside membranes of the eggs. The clotting together of red blood cells signals that Newcastle disease may be the culprit. The U.S. Agriculture Department's veterinary diagnostics lab in Ames, Iowa, is then asked to confirm.

Ramona breeder closes shop

At Myers Menagerie of Birds in Ramona, Joyce Myers has closed up shop, a self-imposed quarantine. She says that allowing no one in her shop gives her birds a measure of protection.

Myers, who opened her business in 1995, has also decided to sell no birds until the Newcastle scare ends. She said she would face being shut down by authorities if she sold a bird that later became contaminated.

"Any of my customers that have called, I just apologize," Myers said Friday. "I also tell them to be very cautious around any birds. I have to close my doors down. It could very well break me. However, for the safety of my birds and for my future business, I have to. It's hurting us, but I want to protect my flock and my ranch and my reputation."

Contact Bruce Kauffman at (760) 761-4410 or bkauffman@nctimes.net.

Among the precautions owners of pet birds can take to ward off Exotic Newcastle

Disease, according to a web site for bird fanciers called www.Cocka2.com.

Leave them at home, transport them to no other location and keep them indoors.

Spray shoes before entering your house, car or any premises where birds are kept. Use a solution of one part bleach to 32 parts water.

Ask visitors to spray their shoes with the solution before coming into a house with a bird.

Study the symptoms and notify authorities if your bird seems to be exhibiting any.

Shoo wandering fowl or other "stray" birds from your property.

1/5/03



The Press-Enterprise - CA

Bird farms feel pinch
NEWCASTLE: Pet owners, afraid they will bring the disease home, avoid avian retailers and feed stores.

01/04/2003

By PHIL PITCHFORD

REF: http://www.pe.com/business/local/PE_BIZ_nbird04.a13f3.html

Exotic Newcastle disease, which already has cut a deadly path across Southern California's poultry industry, also is casting a shadow of fear on bird farms that sell exotic pets.

The disease, although harmless to humans, is highly contagious for birds and nearly always fatal. More than 1 million egg-laying chickens in Riverside and San Bernardino counties have been ordered killed to prevent the disease from spreading.

Bird farm operators, as well as the owners of feed stores and other businesses, are trying to calm the nervous owners of pet birds. The bird fanciers worry the disease may reach their macaws, parakeets, finches and canaries.

William Wilson Lewis III/
The Press-Enterprise
Magnolia Bird Farm advertises a
quarantine due to exotic Newcastle disease.


"People are afraid to go to a bird store because they are afraid they are going to pick up Newcastle and take it home," said Frank Miser, owner of Riverside's Magnolia Bird Farm. "But there is a pretty small chance of that." Joe Bracken, owner of Bracken Bird Farm in Redlands, has heard similar concerns.

"People are saying, 'I don't want to kill my pet parrot that I've had for 20 years,' " Bracken said. "They become members of the family."

State officials have forbidden the movement of most birds outside a quarantine area that includes Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties and parts of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Eggs that have been sanitized can be shipped inside and outside of the quarantine area.

On Friday, Larry Cooper, spokesman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture, said the state is likely to add Ventura County to the quarantine area because the disease has been found in a pet chicken there.

Also Friday, the Los Angeles Zoo took steps to eliminate contact between visitors and its 500 exotic and endangered birds. San Diego's zoo and Wild Animal Park took similar precautions earlier this week.

Both Miser and Bracken are comforted by the fact that the disease has mostly affected poultry, not exotic birds. But they fear a loss of their own bird inventories should Newcastle somehow show up at their farms.

The government pays to replace the birds, but business would suffer nonetheless.

"It would be devastating," Bracken said. "It would hurt us for two or three weeks, maybe a month."

William Wilson Lewis III/
The Press-Enterprise
Jim Pate, left, of Magnolia Bird Farm
inspects bird hobbyist Lou Walker's Pacific parrotlet
for exotic Newcastle disease.

The disease is a common topic of conversation at All Pet Feed & Tack in San Bernardino, according to manager Maggie Gallagher. "Most people haven't acted really panicky, but they are aware that it is going on, especially if people have show chickens and roosters," she said.

The disease threatens their business as well, Gallagher said. People without chickens, after all, have no need to buy chicken feed.

"Most of our sales are feeds, and that's a lot of money," she said. "It's going to be pretty hard on us."

Three generations of Miser's family work at their bird farms in Riverside and Anaheim. Frank Miser, his wife and their three daughters work at the Riverside store, and other relatives run the Orange County location.

Exotic Newcastle "definitely has slowed business down a bit," said Holly Miser, a third-generation breeder who works for her father in Riverside.

"Our business is all birds, no fish, no dogs, no cats," she said. "People are unsure what the disease is and how they could accidentally get it, so they take precautions and pick up their bird feed at the grocery store."

The Misers advise customers not to take their birds outside the house or to introduce new birds into their flocks. If you can't resist buying a new bird, get one from a respected company that you trust, they say.

When bird owners want to board their pets while on vacation, the Misers require them to sign a release form acknowledging that they understand that if the farm is quarantined, they may not get their birds back immediately.

The family also is not boarding any poultry birds and has ceased buying such birds from local suppliers. Workers also sanitize equipment, but the fear among customers remains.

"We had hoped it would be done and over with by now," Holly Miser said. "It's anybody's call, though."

Reach Phil Pitchford at (909) 890-4447 or ppitchford@pe.com



Washinton Post - DC

COAST TO COAST

Sunday, January 5, 2003; Page A02

As Calif. Fights Avian Disease, Poultry Growers Suffer a Toll

It is like the Hot Zone for chickens. Officials have quarantined poultry operations in San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties after investigators found sick birds infected with the deadly avian virus that causes Exotic Newcastle Disease, referred to as the "END."

Newcastle is almost 100 percent lethal for birds, and the virus's last eruption in 1971 infected 1,341 California flocks and led to the destruction of 12 million chickens at a public cost of $56 million. The epidemic threatened to bring the national egg industry to its knees. The current outbreak is not yet so severe, but officials are scared. At least four large egg-laying facilities have been infected and more than 1 million birds slaughtered.

"This is an alarming situation that seriously threatens our poultry industry," said California Food and Agriculture Secretary William J. Lyons Jr.

Exotic Newcastle Disease does not pose a risk to humans, and infected poultry and eggs are safe to eat -- but the chickens are destroyed to control the spread of the highly contagious virus.

The source of the current outbreak remains unknown, but the virus appeared recently in small flocks of backyard chicken farms, where fowl are raised for food, display or illegal cockfights. In October, officials quarantined 50 backyard flocks after discovering the virus in 12 of them. About 5,700 birds were destroyed. Investigators suspect the virus may have entered the United States from Mexico, but it is easily spread by bird droppings, as well as the clothes and shoes of chicken wranglers.

-- William Booth



San Diego Union Tribune - CA

Panel seeks $121 million to help stop avian disease

By Elizabeth Fitzsimons
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

January 4, 2003

REF: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20030104-9999_1mi4new.html

A task force charged with eradicating an outbreak of a deadly and highly contagious avian disease in Southern California has asked the federal government for $121 million in assistance.

The task force of state and federal officials has also asked that a declaration of emergency be made, said Larry Hawkins, spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

No additional finds of exotic Newcastle disease were reported yesterday, two days after the virus was detected in Ventura County. The quarantine that covers San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties, and parts of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, is expected to extend into Ventura County within days, said Larry Cooper, spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

The disease, which affects all kinds of birds, does not infect humans.

Canada and Mexico have imposed bans on imports of California poultry and eggs as a result of the exotic Newcastle outbreak.

Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, said that since October, when the Mexican ban went into effect, through this week, when Canada's ban began, state poultry producers have lost about $5 million in exports to those countries. He said exports of breeding turkeys to Europe have also been banned.

Further losses from the bans are not likely to cripple the industry, worth about $3 billion annually, because only 2 percent of the state's poultry production is exported. The majority of California-produced poultry stays in the state, Mattos said.

"Most of the people in California buy fresh poultry," he said. "We only supply half the state. We have to bring in the other half from out of state."

Nonetheless, the association, which represents about 160 poultry producers, contends the bans should not cover the entire state when exotic Newcastle has been detected only in Southern California. About 90 percent of the state's poultry industry is located in Central California.

How long the bans would remain in effect was unclear yesterday.

"This will last until we can either convince them we have gotten rid of the disease or until such a time they would want to modify their regulation, but that would be up to them," Hawkins said.

"We provide information to all our foreign trading partners about exotic diseases and provide scientific information to them so they can effectively evaluate how we're dealing with it so they can make their decisions based on good information."

Since exotic Newcastle was first detected in a backyard flock in Los Angeles County in early October, it has forced authorities to destroy nearly 1.2 million birds.

The disease, which has typically been introduced by birds smuggled into the country, infected commercial poultry flocks in Riverside and San Bernardino last week. On Sunday, Newcastle was confirmed in a flock of 73,000 birds at Ramona Egg Enterprises Inc.

An infection of commercial flocks had not occurred since a devastating outbreak in 1971, during which nearly 12 million birds were destroyed.

Elizabeth Fitzsimons:
(760) 752-6743; elizabeth.fitzsimons@uniontrib.com



Ventura County Star - CA

Dead bird brings fear of disease to county
By T.J. Sullivan, sullivan@insidevc.com
January 4, 2003

REF: http://www.insidevc.com/vcs/county_news/article/0,1375,VCS_226_1651442,00.html

State and federal agricultural officials seeking to halt the spread of exotic Newcastle disease are investigating whether a dead chicken delivered to a Ventura County veterinarian this week originated in the county, or if it was transported there from someplace else.

If it's determined that the bird was from a Ventura County farm or residence, it's likely that the county will join five other quarantined counties in an effort to contain the disease, which is harmless to humans but fatal to birds, said Larry Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Larry Cooper, a spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, said test results already have confirmed that the bird died of END. It was delivered Thursday to the veterinarian's office in a plastic bag, he said.

Because the disease affects many types of birds and can kill them within a couple of days, the quarantine would prevent all birds from being moved out of the county, Cooper said. A list of quarantined birds includes chickens, doves, ducks, geese, ostriches, peacocks, pigeons, turkeys and swans.

Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties already have been placed under quarantine restrictions as the USDA and the California Department of Food and Agriculture attempt to contain the disease, which could wreak havoc in the state's $1 billion poultry industry.

A statewide outbreak of the disease in the 1970s threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply and led authorities to destroy nearly 12 million chickens, many of which were on Ventura County chicken farms, such as Egg City in Moorpark. It cost $56 million to eradicate the disease from the state.

Since then, all of Ventura County's egg farms have closed.

California is the nation's third-largest egg producer and more than half the state's 12 million egg-laying hens are in the quarantine zone.

Canada has said it will stop all shipments of California poultry products for 14 days, and Mexico also has imposed a ban.

Cooper said the disease does not harm the quality of meat or eggs.

Birds suffering from the disease can exhibit a variety of symptoms, including some similar to the common cold, such as watery eyes, or coughing. Cooper said bird owners should watch for any abnormality.

David Buettner, Ventura County's chief deputy agricultural commissioner, said anyone who believes they have a bird infected with the disease should not attempt to move it, but rather report it to his office, or state authorities.

"The fact that the disease is so devastating and spreads so rapidly is of concern to the entire state," Buettner said. "Once it gets out of control, it's very hard to stop the spread."

The virus can be spread by birds, some of which may not exhibit symptoms, but act merely as carriers. People can spread it in several ways, including carrying the virus on their shoes.

A 24-hour information hotline has been set up at (800) 491-1899. The state's Emergency Operations Center can be reached during regular business hours at (562) 795-1940.

-- The Associated Press contributed to this story.



Pasadena-Star News - CA - Some Info Added Here

Canada, Mexico ban poultry from state due to Newcastle

Article Last Updated: Friday, January 03, 2003 - 7:13:31 PM MST

By Associated Press

REF: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/Stories/0,1413,206%257E22097%257E1088307,00.html

Canada and Mexico have banned shipments of poultry and poultry products from California because of the outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease, the California Farm Bureau said.

The disease, which threatens the state's $3 billion poultry industry, is harmless to humans but fatal to birds.

State farm officials said Canada will stop all shipments of poultry and its products from California for 14 days. Mexico, the state's leading export market for poultry, also called for a similar ban.

The California Poultry Federation, which represents about 160 poultry farmers, was lobbying for the bans to be modified to include only six quarantined counties in Southern California.

Agriculture officials ordered more than a million chickens destroyed after finding new cases of the disease. The outbreak was discovered in September in backyard chicken flocks in Los Angeles County.

All or parts of Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties have been placed under quarantine, and authorities were considering whether to add Ventura County to the regulated area. Animal hospitals in Downey and Baldwin Park also have been placed under quarantine and state agriculture officials have done house-to-house inspections in Pico Rivera.

The Ventura case, which was confirmed Wednesday, involved a pet bird, not a commercial flock, said Larry Cooper, spokesman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture. Cooper said the origin of the bird remained under investigation Friday.

The quarantine bans the transportation of live birds or poultry products, except eggs that have been sanitized, outside the quarantine area.

A statewide outbreak of the disease in the 1970s threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply and led authorities to destroy nearly 12 million chickens. It cost $56 million to eradicate the disease.

California is the nation's third- largest egg producer. More than half the state's 12 million egg- laying hens are in the quarantine zone.

Officials have emphasized that chicken and eggs remain safe to eat, and that the virus does not harm humans even if an infected chicken is consumed. There is no cure for the disease.



The News Journal - DE - Some Info Added Here

Calif. poultry banned due to outbreak
Canada, Mexico halt shipments because of Newcastle disease
Associated Press

01/04/2003

REf: http://www.delawareonline.com/newsjournal/business/2003/01/04califpoultryban.html

SACRAMENTO -- Canada and Mexico have banned shipments of poultry and poultry products from California because of the outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease, the California Farm Bureau said.

The disease, which threatens the state's $3 billion poultry industry, is harmless to humans but fatal to birds.

State farm officials said Canada will stop all shipments of poultry and its products from California for 14 days. Mexico, the state's leading export market for poultry, also called for a similar ban.

The California Poultry Federation, which represents about 160 poultry farmers, was lobbying for the bans to be modified to include only six quarantined counties in Southern California.

Agriculture officials ordered more than a million chickens destroyed after finding new cases of the disease.

The outbreak was discovered in September in backyard chicken flocks in Los Angeles County.

Delaware's estimated $598 million broiler chicken industry has not been affected by the virus, state and industry officials said.

"There is very little contact between the California chicken industry and Delmarva's chicken industry," said Bill Satterfield, executive director of Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc., a group that lobbies on behalf of poultry companies and farmers.

Delmarva's poultry industry, which specializes in selling broilers, is not expected to profit from the spread of the virus among the West Coast's egg farmers.

Dr. H. Wesley Towers, the state's veterinarian, said Delaware has not experienced the Newcastle virus since the 1970s when some show-birds were exposed to it.

State officials, veterinarians and members of the poultry industry are scheduled to meet with USDA officials in two weeks to discuss the virus and other matters.

California is the nation's third-largest egg producer. More than half the state's 12 million egg-laying hens are in the quarantine zone.

Officials have emphasized that chicken and eggs remain safe to eat, and that the virus does not harm humans even if an infected chicken is consumed.

There is no known cure for the disease.



Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - CA

Canada, Mexico ban California poultry
By From staff and wire services

Article Last Updated: Friday, January 03, 2003 - 11:59:00 PM MST

REF: http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203%257E21481%257E1088263,00.html

Canada and Mexico have banned shipments of poultry and poultry products from California, and the Los Angeles Zoo took action Friday to protect its bird collections because of an outbreak of exotic Newcastle disease.

The zoo has more than 500 exotic birds, including giant California condors that are being bred in attempt to save the species from extinction.

The zoo closed two walk-through aviaries, changed its "World of Birds' show to eliminate contact between birds and audiences, and removed birds from educational demonstrations and outreach programs. Peafowl that range freely through the zoo were being collected.

Strict cleanliness guidelines were also set for animal keepers and volunteers working in or near bird enclosures.

"We believe the risk of this disease infecting Los Angeles Zoo birds remains low, but since the consequences would be extreme, we need to take additional steps to protect our priceless birds,' said Susie Kasielke, curator of birds.

The virus, which is fatal to birds and threatens California's $3 billion poultry industry, is not contagious to humans but can be spread on the clothing and shoes of people who have been in infected areas.

In San Bernardino County, a million chickens were put to death by state and federal officials at a Fontana egg ranch this week because of the disease. About 1.2 million birds have been killed because of the disease in the Inland Valley.

In Ventura County, the confirmation of the virus in a pet bird this week has prompted officials Friday to request a quarantine, officials said.

David Buttner, chief deputy agricultural commissioner for Ventura County, said the quarantine would not have a significant impact on the county's commercial poultry industry, which was wiped out during the 1970s in a statewide outbreak.

However, the disease could affect the county's backyard growers, Buttner said.

"If people have a few chickens, it could have a real impact on them. The disease spreads pretty rapidly and if it's not treated, the mortality rate is pretty high,' he said.

Precautions similar to those at the Los Angeles Zoo were taken earlier this week to protect the San Diego Zoo's 1,900 birds and the San Diego Wild Animal Park's 1,500 birds.

The disease surfaced in September in backyard chickens in Los Angeles County. The state has since quarantined all or parts of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



Forbes

Canada slaps 14-day ban on California poultry
Reuters, 01.03.03, 4:30 PM ET

REF: http://www.forbes.com/business/newswire/2003/01/03/rtr837306.html

(adds details throughout, byline, previous SACRAMENTO, Calif.)

By Michael Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Canada has barred poultry and poultry products from California for 14 days because of Exotic Newcastle Disease, marking the latest export ban since the outbreak of the infection in September, state officials said Friday.

The disease that is fatal for birds but harmless to humans had already spurred Mexico -- California's largest export market for poultry -- to enact a similar ban soon after it was discovered, said Larry Hawkins, an official with the Department of Food and Agriculture.

Canada's ban was effective from Dec. 31.

The disease, which originally hit backyard chickens just over three months ago, has spread to commercial flocks for the first time in the United States since 1974 and threatens California's $3 billion poultry industry, Hawkins said.

So far more than 1 million birds have been destroyed in the nation's seventh largest poultry-producing state due to the outbreak in the southern part of the state.

"It started out in backyard chickens," Hawkins said. "The first detection in commercial chickens was a few weeks ago."

A number of other countries and territories have also banned all or some poultry products from California and some have halted a range of imports from the United States because of the Newcastle outbreak. These include: China, the Philippines, Guam, Argentina, Japan, Taiwan, the European Union and Korea.

BIRDS 'DIE LIKE FLIES'

Canadian officials banned the import of live birds from California in October after the initial outbreak, added Claude Lavigne, associate executive director of animal products with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

But when the disease was detected in a commercial operation with 105,000 laying hens, Canada -- which does not import a significant amount of California poultry -- extended the ban to all products such as poultry meat and eggs, Lavigne said.

"The strain that they have right now, it's extremely virulent and it kills birds -- they die like flies -- and it's relatively easy to transmit from one barn or from one flock to another," Lavigne said.

Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, said his groups wants the ban only to include the Southern California counties where chickens have contracted the disease.

But the main concern now is making sure the disease does not spread to the central part of the state that is home to the majority of the state's poultry producers, he said.

"This is a regionalized problem to Southern California," Mattos said. "Northern California should be allowed to ship."

Exotic Newcastle Disease is one of the most infectious poultry diseases in the world and so virulent that many birds die without showing any signs of infection, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Web site.

In 1971, a major outbreak in Southern California spurred officials to order the destruction of 12 million birds and it cost $56 million to eradicate the disease over a three-year period.

Copyright 2003, Reuters News Service



Sarasota Herald Tribune - FL

Jan 03, 2003

LA Zoo closes aviaries to protect rare birds from poultry disease

REF: http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030103&Category=APN&ArtNo=301030954&Ref=AR

The Associated Press

This story appeared in MANY media souces.

Warning of potentially extreme consequences for its rare and endangered birds, the Los Angeles Zoo took action Friday to protect its collections from an outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease in Southern California.

The zoo has more than 500 exotic birds, including giant California condors that are being bred in attempt to save the species from extinction.

The virus, which is fatal to birds and threatens California's $3 billion poultry industry, is not contagious to humans but can be spread on the clothing and shoes of people who have been in infected areas.

The zoo closed two walk-through aviaries, changed its "World of Birds" show to eliminate contact between birds and audiences, and removed birds from educational demonstrations and outreach programs. Peafowl that range freely through the zoo were being collected.

Strict cleanliness guidelines were also set for animal keepers and volunteers working in or near bird enclosures.

"We believe the risk of this disease infecting LA Zoo birds remains low, but since the consequences would be extreme, we need to take additional steps to protect our priceless birds," said Susie Kasielke, curator of birds.

Kasielke said vaccinations are not very effective because they only reduce the amount of mortality, and once the disease appears in a group of birds the U.S. Department of Agriculture considers "depopulation" to be the answer.

Asked if any appearance of Newcastle at the zoo would mean the end to all its birds, Kasielke said, "I think that we would certainly have to have long discussions with USDA."

The risk to California condors at the zoo was considered low. The condors are not on public display and are already protected by strong bio-security measures, Kasielke said.

The Los Angeles Zoo is located in 4,107-acre Griffith Park, but the many wild birds living in the surrounding wilderness were not believed to be a threat. Kasielke said Newcastle appears to spread among captive populations.

Precautions similar to those at the Los Angeles Zoo were taken earlier this week to protect the San Diego Zoo's 1,900 birds and the San Diego Wild Animal Park's 1,500 birds.

The disease surfaced in September in backyard chickens in Los Angeles County. The state has since quarantined all or parts of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino and Ventura counties.

More than a million chickens have been ordered destroyed at egg farms, and Canada and Mexico have banned shipments of poultry and poultry products from California.

Last modified: January 03. 2003 4:19PM



Forbes

Canada slaps 14-day ban on California poultry

Reuters, 01.03.03, 2:41 PM ET

REF: http://www.forbes.com/home_europe/newswire/2003/01/03/rtr837168.html

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Reuters) - Canada has slapped a 14-day ban on poultry and poultry products from California because of the outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease, state officials and farm groups said Friday.

The discovery of the disease -- harmless to humans but fatal for birds -- in Southern California in late September had already spurred Mexico, California's largest foreign market for poultry produce, to enact a similar ban, said Larry Hawkins, an official with the state's Department of Food and Agriculture.

Canada's ban was effective from Dec. 31.

The disease, which originally hit backyard chickens just over three months ago, has spread to commercial flocks for the first time in the United States since 1974 and threatens California's $3 billion poultry industry, Hawkins said. So far more than 1 million birds have been destroyed in the nation's seventh largest poultry-producing state.

"It started out in backyard chickens," Hawkins said. "The first detection in commercial chickens was a few weeks ago."

Exotic Newcastle Disease is one of the most infectious poultry diseases in the world and so virulent that many birds die without showing any signs of infection, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Web site.

In 1971, a major outbreak in Southern California spurred officials to order the destruction of 12 million birds and it cost $56 million to eradicate the disease over a three-year period, Hawkins said.

Copyright 2003, Reuters News Service



Sacramento Business Journal, CA

Exact but Briefer Story in Silcon Valley/San Jose Business Journal
Canada joins in poultry ban

REF: http://sacramento.bizjournals.com/sacramento/stories/2002/12/30/daily32.html
REF: http://sanjose.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2002/12/30/daily44.html

Although no new cases of "Exotic Newcastle disease" have been found in poultry in California, Canada has joined Mexico in banning all shipments of poultry and poultry products from California for 14 days, the California Farm Bureau says.

The California Poultry Federation urged foreign trading partners to modify their bans to the areas of the state under quarantine, not the entire state.

Exotic Newcastle disease is a flu-like ailment swiftly fatal to poultry and for which there is no cure. It does not affect humans.

The disease has been confined to counties in Southern California -- Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, San Diego, Ventura and Orange. To control the spread of the disease, which could lay waste to the state's $3 billion poultry industry, more than a million chickens have been killed.

Only one of the state's top five chicken-producing counties, San Bernardino, is among those hit by the quarantine. But the international bans hit the entire state, including Placer County, which is the fourth-largest chicken-producing county in California, according to the California Agricultural Statistics Service.

In addition, the quarantine hits three of California's five largest egg-producing counties.

© 2003 American City Business Journals Inc.



Sacramento Bee, CA

Poultry disease impact widens
Canada joins Mexico in banning imports of fowl products from California.

By Melanie Payne -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Friday, January 3, 2003

REF: http://www.sacbee.com/content/business/story/5780949p-6750618c.html

Poultry producers throughout California are paying a penalty for an outbreak of exotic Newcastle disease that has left five Southern California counties quarantined. On Thursday, Canada joined Mexico in banning the import of poultry products from the Golden State. Two percent of the poultry produced in California is exported, and 50 percent of that goes to Mexico.

Ironically, regulators have not seen signs of the fatal virus in chickens headed for market. Instead, the disease has been identified among some egg-laying hens.

The impact of exotic Newcastle could be even more serious if it spreads among the egg-laying flocks, because California is the nation's third-largest egg producer.

Since the fatal virus was first discovered four months ago in backyard poultry flocks in Compton, agriculture officials have ordered more than 1.2 million chickens destroyed and quarantined poultry in Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties.

While exports represent a tiny fraction of California's $3 billion poultry business, producers of squabs and other fowl pleasing to foreign palates depend heavily on sales abroad, said Bill Mattos, president of the Modesto-based California Poultry Federation.

The Squab Producers of California, also based in Modesto, had scheduled a $50,000 shipment to Canada that may be lost if the ban isn't lifted. For multimillion-dollar poultry producers, this wouldn't be a problem, but for squab producers, "every part of export helps them," Mattos said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture compensates poultry producers when birds have to be destroyed, said Larry Hawkins, an agency spokesman. Appraisers are working now with producers to determine the fair market value of the stock and compensate them for the costs of cleaning and disinfecting their operations.

Producers aren't compensated for the one-to two-month lag time before operations can resume after disinfection, Mattos said, but commercial producers do receive reimbursement ranging from 25 cents to $5 a bird, depending on its breed, egg-laying ability and age.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture launched a door-to-door search in urban areas where the first exotic Newcastle infections were found and mounted a large-scale educational campaign, said Leticia Rico, a department spokeswoman.

Afterward, regulators quarantined backyard flocks at more than 4,000 premises. Of those, 1,100 premises contained infected birds that had to be euthanized.

Now that the disease has spread to commercial operations, "we have two audiences here," Rico said. The department has established a 24-hour toll-free hotline. Recorded information is available in English, Spanish and Vietnamese.

Producers are setting up strict "biosecurity" measures to cut off the spread of the virus, Rico said, sanitizing trucks that come onto the property, restricting visitors and making sure that anyone who comes in contact with the birds makes extra sanitation efforts, such as wearing clean clothes, disinfecting their shoes and washing their hands.

The highly contagious virus can remain active for days as it travels in feces, feathers or mucus, Rico said.

This isn't the first time exotic Newcastle has hit flocks in the state. During the last outbreak, in the early 1970s, federal and state agriculture departments spent nearly $56 million to eradicate the disease and destroy 12 million chickens.

Infected birds exhibit a number of symptoms, including sneezing; nasal discharge; diarrhea; depression; muscular tremors; complete paralysis; partial to complete drop in egg production; production of thin-shelled eggs; and sudden death.

The disease could be particularly damaging for California producers whose flocks of egg-laying hens number 24 million.

So far, exotic Newcastle has not affected the price of poultry or eggs, producers said Thursday. While the export of poultry products has been banned, cleansing processes have allowed egg sales to continue.

Most of California's poultry is in the Central Valley, outside the quarantined area.

About the Writer
The Bee's Melanie Payne can be reached at (916)321-1962 or mpayne@sacbee.com.



Sarasota Herald Tribune, FL, The Press-Enterprise, CA, Herald Tribune, CA, ABC News and others

Jan 03, 2003

U.S. neighbors ban shipments of poultry from California

The Associated Press

REF: http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030103&Category=APN&ArtNo=301030647&Ref=AR
REF: http://www.pe.com/ap_news/California/CA_Exotic_Newcastle_Disease_93614C.shtml
REF: http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030103&Category=APA&ArtNo=301030653&Ref=AR REF: http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20030103_349.html

Canada and Mexico have banned shipments of poultry and poultry products from California because of the outbreak of Exotic Newcastle Disease, the California Farm Bureau said.

The disease, which threatens the state's $3 billion poultry industry, is harmless to humans but fatal to birds.

State farm officials said Canada will stop all shipments of poultry and its products from California for 14 days. Mexico, the state's leading export market for poultry, also called for a similar ban.

The California Poultry Federation, which represents about 160 poultry farmers, was lobbying for the bans to be modified to include only six quarantined counties in Southern California.

Agriculture officials ordered more than a million chickens destroyed after finding new cases of the disease. The outbreak was discovered in September in backyard chicken flocks in Los Angeles County.

Meanwhile, Ventura County will join Riverside, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange counties with quarantine restrictions after the discovery of an exotic Newcastle infection there, state officials said.

The Ventura case, which was confirmed Wednesday involved a pet bird, not a commercial flock, said Larry Cooper, spokesman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture.

The quarantine bans the transportation of live birds or poultry products, except eggs that have been sanitized, outside the quarantine area.

A statewide outbreak of the disease in the 1970s threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply and led authorities to destroy nearly 12 million chickens. It cost $56 million to eradicate the disease.

California is the nation's third-largest egg producer. More than half the state's 12 million egg-laying hens are in the quarantine zone.

Officials have emphasized that chicken and eggs remain safe to eat, and that the virus does not harm humans even if an infected chicken is consumed. There is no cure for the disease.

Last modified: January 03. 2003 4:29AM



San Bernardino Sun - CA and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin - CA

Article Last Updated: Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 11:10:12 PM MST

Ranchers petition feds
U.S. government asked to give $100M to battle disease threatening poultry
By STEPHEN WALL, Staff Writer

REF: http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208%257E12588%257E1086816,00.html
REF: http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203%257E21481%257E1086523,00.html

California poultry farmers on Thursday urged the federal government to provide $100 million in emergency funds to combat a deadly virus that threatens to devastate their industry.

State and federal agencies must stamp out exotic Newcastle disease before it spreads into Central California, heart of the state's $3 billion poultry industry, which employs more than 25,000 people statewide, industry officials said.

The disease is harmless to humans, and it's safe for people to eat eggs and poultry products, officials said.

The federal government would "be smart to put as much money and manpower as they can, even if it's $100 million,' said Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation. "If it crosses north of the Tehachapi Mountains, they will have to spend billions to deal with eradication. That's why it's so important to keep it in Southern California and get rid of it.'

About 1.2 million birds, including commercial egg-laying chickens, have been destroyed or targeted for destruction in Southern California in recent weeks, officials said. But the bulk of the state's poultry industry is located in the San Joaquin Valley.

On Thursday, workers were seen continuing to clean up at a large Fontana egg farm, where it is believed more than 1 million chickens were in the process of being destroyed. Officials have repeatedly refused to identify specifically on which farms the disease has been found.

Efforts to wipe out the disease will prove far more costly than in 1971, when the last major outbreak occurred, Mattos said. That year, more than 1,300 flocks were infected and nearly 12 million birds destroyed, costing $56 million and taking three years to eliminate, officials said.

While the previous outbreak was confined mainly to commercial ranches, today it is common in backyard flocks, he said.

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture said 43,000 birds have been destroyed in backyard flocks in Southern California, not counting those that died and were disposed of by their owners.

About $10 million has been spent by the state and federal governments on the eradication program since the disease was diagnosed in backyard poultry flocks in Los Angeles County on Oct. 1, said department spokesman Larry Hawkins.

That includes cost to pay owners the fair market value for the loss of their birds, he said.

An emergency funding request has reached the upper levels of the Agriculture Department in Washington, D.C., and should be acted upon soon, Hawkins said.

"We're hopeful and confident we'll get a positive response,' said Hawkins, who is based in Sacramento.

By the end of next week, about 500 federal and state employees are expected to be working on the eradication effort, he said. Teams of investigators and epidemiologists have been talking to bird owners and visiting places where they congregate in an attempt to locate the source of the virus.

Government veterinarians, animal health technicians, and crews from the California Conservation Corps are participating in the effort, said Leticia Rico, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

"We dropped down a bit over the holidays, but we'll be ramping up soon to continue to work on eradication,' Rico said.

While officials wouldn't confirm any of the rumors swirling about how the disease was introduced, Mattos said the trail leads to fighting cocks smuggled from Mexico.

"That's where a lot of fighting cocks come from,' he said. "They had issues in Mexico with this disease in fighting birds.'

Despite working proactively with bird clubs and officials at the University of California on eradication programs, many owners refuse to report cases of sick or dead birds, Hawkins said.

"It's very hard to go door-to-door, particularly when people don't want you to be there,' Mattos said.

In addition to the Fontana ranch, state agriculture officials recently destroyed more than 100,000 chickens on a Riverside egg farm, and the identification of the disease at a San Diego egg farm will force 75,000 additional birds to be killed.

Gas or lethal injection is used to kill diseased birds, which are buried in lined containers at local landfills.

Discovery of the disease has caused state officials to establish a quarantine zone that includes western San Bernardino and Riverside counties, as well as all of Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.

Eggs coming from quarantine zones must be washed, sanitized and repackaged before shipping.

Birds with the exotic Newcastle disease may have respiratory, nervous or gastrointestinal problems, but may die without showing signs of the disease.

Bird owners are urged to maintain physical barriers and use personal hygiene and equipment sanitation to prevent the spread of the disease.

"Be smart, be secure, and don't think, 'It can't happen to me,'' Hawkins said. "Protect your birds.'

To report suspicious cases, call (800) 491-1899.



San Bernardino Sun - CA

Article Last Updated: Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 11:07:35 PM MST

Duck ranchers take precautions
Measures to keep disease away from flocks instituted
By JOE FLORKOWSKI, Staff Writer

REF: http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208%257E12588%257E1086799,00.html

Operators of the largest duck ranch in San Bernardino County have heightened security because of a bird disease that is causing the eradication of more than one million chickens.

Company officials with Woodland Farms say they have increased security to protect the roughly 350,000 ducks they own on four ranches in the Inland Empire.

Like many chicken ranchers, Woodland Farms employees are monitoring the ranches to ensure that all sanitization and bio-security measures are followed, said Dick Jones, company president.

If the disease were to infect the four ranches, the results would be devastating, he said.

"I'd be wiped out,' he said. "I can't take away that much of the population.'

While much of the focus on exotic Newcastle disease has been on its effect on the chicken industry, most birds can carry the highly contagious disease, including ducks and ostriches.

Ducks are the second largest poultry industry in San Bernardino County, followed by ostriches, according to January 2002 statistics from the county Department of Agriculture and Weights and Measures.

According to the statistics, there were more than 4.1 million chickens, 412,000 ducks and 300 ostriches in the county in 2002.

San Bernardino County does not release the financial value of the duck industry because Woodland Farms represents most of the production, said John Gardner, chief deputy agriculture commissioner.

Since the outbreak of exotic Newcastle disease in October, Woodland Farms' employees at ranches in Colton, Hemet, Lucerne Valley and Phelan are constantly instructed in security procedures, Jones said.

While bio-security measures have long been in place, they are now strictly enforced, he said.

For example, delivery truck drivers who come onto the ranches cannot step out of the vehicle until they have sanitized their feet, Jones said.

Jones has reason to be concerned about the potential impact on his ranches.

Any birds who test positive for the disease have to be destroyed along with the others in the flock, said Leticia Rico, spokeswoman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture.

As a result, more than 100,000 chickens at a commercial ranch in Riverside County were killed, she said.

About 1 million chickens at a commercial ranch in San Bernardino County are in the process of being destroyed, she said.

It's unknown how ducks and ostriches will react to exotic Newcastle disease because of the way the virus evolves, said Carol Cardona, poultry extension veterinarian with UC Davis.

Historically, infected ostriches have shown higher rates of mortality than ducks with the disease, she said.

"People who own ostriches and hang out with chickens and go back to their ostriches are putting their animals at risk,' Cardona said.



San Gabriel Valley Tribune - CA

Article Last Updated: Thursday, January 02, 2003 - 11:02:59 PM MST

Roosters to be examined for disease
Authorities quarantine shelter on fears of Newcastle outbreak
By Karen Rubin , Staff Writer

REF: http://www.sgvtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,205%257E12220%257E1086882,00.html

Agriculture investigators took eight rooster carcasses for examination Thursday and quarantined a portion of the animal shelter in an effort to fight the bird- killing Exotic Newcastle Disease.

A veterinarian and an assistant, wearing protective clothing, took the euthanized cockfighting birds and tested two others for the disease, said Sgt. Eileen Hill, of the Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control shelter in Baldwin Park.

Ten confirmed cockfighting birds were seized Sunday in Bassett when El Monte police officers stumbled upon about a dozen caged birds while serving search warrants.

Eight birds were euthanized due to injuries from previous cockfights and two were kept for evidence, authorities said.

The quarantine comes on the heels of a devastating outbreak of the Exotic Newcastle Disease that erupted in September around the Southland. So far, more than 1 million birds mostly from commercial egg farmers have been euthanized, officials said.

Regional quarantines are in place in Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Orange and Los Angeles counties, said Larry Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Since September, federal and state authorities have quarantined 4,300 premises around parts of Southern California, Hawkins said.

"Exotic Newcastle Disease is a highly contagious disease of birds,' Hawkins said. "There are several strains of the disease and it does not exist naturally in the United States. This is a very virulent strain ... and it is fatal to most birds, especially poultry. Chickens are highly susceptibly to the disease.'

A handful of homes in Baldwin Park, El Monte and La Puente face similar quarantines, Hill said.

At the Elton Street shelter, the quarantine means no birds will be adopted out while it is in effect, Hill said.

Shelter officials cautioned the quarantine only centers around birds.

"It has nothing to do with dogs, cats, mice or any other animal,' Hill said. "It is strictly a bird disease. The public is welcome to come in. This has nothing to do with anything but birds.'

On Sunday, El Monte police officers came upon the cockfighting birds while serving search warrants in the 13000 block of Don Julian Road in Bassett, said El Monte police Sgt. Chuck Carlson.

Officers were looking for Felipe Rodriguez, 49, of La Puente, who has a $30,000 warrant out for his arrest for allegedly driving on a suspended driver license, the sergeant said.

But they stumbled on something else.

In the back yard of a Don Julian Road home, cages housing fighting birds were found. After securing another arrest warrant, officers found bird vitamins, steroids and cockfighting spurs and little "boxing gloves,' Carlson said.

The birds were taken to the shelter and USDA officials were notified.

Police arrested 31-year-old Leonardo Sandoval for suspicion of animal cruelty. His 27-year-old brother, Adrian, was arrested for allegedly having a forged California driver license, Carlson said. They were cited out and must appear in Superior Court in West Covina in 60 days.

-- Karen Rubin can be reached at (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2109, or by e-mail at karen.rubin@sgvn.com .



KFMB-TV - CA

ZOO CLOSES AVIARIES AFTER NEWCASTLE THREAT

REF: http://www.kfmb.com/topstory12906.html

(01-02-2003) - A contagious avian virus has forced both the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Park to close their walk-through aviaries.

There are 3,400 birds at risk of contracting the exotic Newcastle disease.

A Ramona egg ranch infected with the virus is already being forced to euthanize 73,000 chickens.

So, zookeepers say they're not willing to take any chances.

"This is the most likely spot where there would be contamination by the public because of the sidewalks and the close contact with the birds,” said Ed Lewis of the San Diego Zoo.

Fortunately there is a vaccine against the disease that is about 75 percent effective.



North County Times - CA

Ostrich, emu farmers aren't worried about disease
KATHRYN GILLICK
Staff Writer

REF: http://www.nctimes.net/news/2003/20030101/55917.html

Despite the highly contagious nature of Exotic Newcastle disease, some local ostrich and emu farmers seemed unconcerned Tuesday about their flocks contracting the illness.

They said the hardiness of their animals and the way their farms were designed would prevent their animals from becoming infected. One even said he believed emus are immune from the disease.

The San Diego Wild Animal Park is taking a much more cautionary approach. With 1,500 varieties of birds, the park is taking numerous precautions to prevent infection.

Adam Ringler, assistant director of operations at the park, said one of the main steps the park is taking is limiting visitor access to the park.

"We have a number of walk-through aviaries at the park," Ringler said, "and those are the places we could have the most immediate contact with guests and our collection.

"As a preventive measure, we're in the process of closing those aviaries and posting signs in front of them indicating the reason for that. We've also eliminated food out of our coin-operated bird feeders."

Other exhibits, such as the Hidden Jungle and Lorikeet Landing, where rainbow lorikeets actually land on visitors, closed completely Tuesday afternoon.

He did not expect the closures to have a significant economic impact on the park.

The difficulties began with the discovery of infected chickens at a Ramona ranch, which prompted state and federal officials to destroy the ranch's 85,000 chickens and declare a quarantine on chickens and eggs in San Diego County.

Los Angeles and Orange counties, as well as the western parts of San Bernardino and Riverside counties, are also under quarantine.

Still, David Stepp of Cali Ostrich in Valley Center, owner of 50 breeding ostriches, said he doesn't think the deadly disease will affect his birds.

"It's just maintaining the standards and making sure people don't come on your farm who might be contaminated," Stepp said. "My farm is built like that."

He dismissed any suggestion that his ostriches might become infected, saying the ostriches are hardier birds than most others and that in his almost 20 years of ostrich farming he'd never heard of an ostrich contracting Exotic Newcastle.

"They would have to be in pretty poor condition," Stepp said.

On the remote chance that the disease did get onto the ranch, Stepp said, "I hate to even think about it."

Bill Deskovick, an emu farmer in Ramona, took it a step further, saying he believed his birds were safe because emus are not affected.

"Emus don't get the disease," he said. "It's a poultry disease and I don't have any poultry."

His assertion was refuted by San Diego public health veterinarian Al Guajardo. He said the quarantine includes ratites, or nonflying birds, such as ostriches and emus.

Dave Banner, owner of Banner's Exotics in Escondido, which sells many ostrich products, also seemed unconcerned about the disease's arrival in the county.

Although he gets much of his ostrich meat from local farms, he said he was not worried about the disease affecting them either.

"I can get the meat elsewhere if I have to," he said. "If I have to go out of the state, it's no problem."

Other non-poultry bird owners are taking the threat more seriously.

Private bird owners are also being warned about the disease. Veterinarian Guajardo warns that domestic birds who may not show any outward signs of having Exotic Newcastle may still be carrying the disease.

"Privately owned and companion birds, some of these actually can be carriers of the disease," he said, "which means they may not show any signs of the disease itself, but they can be carriers of the virus and be shedders of the virus later on."

Guajardo suggested that bird owners keep their birds away from other birds during the quarantine.

1/1/03



The Press-Enterprise - CA

Prices, supplies of eggs holding
NEWCASTLE: Plenty of uncontaminated sources are available, area markets report.

01/01/2003

By JACK KATZANEK
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

REF: http://www.pe.com/business/local/PE_BIZ_neggs01.eff5.html

Despite losses to Southern California's egg-producing poultry population because of the Exotic Newcastle disease, grocery chains say they're not anticipating shortages or price increases right now.

More than 1.1 million hens have been ordered destroyed at Inland Southern California poultry farms, including at least 1 million Monday at a San Bernardino County ranch, because inspectors found Exotic Newcastle disease, a viral infection that spreads rapidly among birds and is almost always fatal.

The disease, which agriculture officials say is harmless to humans, jeopardizes the Inland area's $82 million egg industry. To prevent the highly contagious disease from spreading, entire flocks must be euthanized.

"At this point, our egg suppliers have assured us there are plenty of eggs from noncontaminated sources," said Ralphs and Food 4 Less spokesman Terry O'Neill. "We're not expecting any impact at this time."

The state Department of Agriculture has imposed a quarantine in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties and western Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Commercial poultry cannot be moved beyond the quarantine boundaries. Eggs can still be shipped outside the quarantine area once they are sanitized.

Karen Ramos, spokeswoman for Albertsons and the Sav-On drug chain, said chickens from Southern California represent just a fraction of the country's egg production.

"(There are) farms across the country, over 20 processing plants," Ramos said. "We're pretty secure we'll have eggs for all our customers."

Jack Brown, president and chief executive officer of Colton-based Stater Bros., said all the eggs for the chain's 156 Southern California stores come from Inland poultry growers.

"There are no supply issues in our area, and we don't expect to have to look outside the area for eggs," Brown said.

A drastic blow to the supply of an agricultural commodity could drive up prices, but Brown said the retail price of a dozen eggs actually has dropped by 10 cents in the last week or so.

Albertsons' Ramos said egg production has been very strong for the last two years, which has kept prices down long-term.

"At this point the supply of eggs for the markets has been high, and production geared up for the holidays," Ramos said. "We're told the prices have been very stable."

There are about 280 million egg-laying hens in the United States, including around 24 million in California, according to statistics compiled by the University of California's cooperative extension in Riverside.

The only states with more egg-laying hens are Iowa, with about 37 million, and Ohio, with about 30 million.

"You don't have to worry about running out of eggs," said Ralph Ernst, a poultry specialist at UC Davis, who is associated with the extension program.

"We've been in a situation of depressed prices for two years, which means that egg prices are somewhat below cost, actually," he added. "The hope now is that this large event, and I'm hoping it is confined to the few premises where it is now, will have a positive effect on the egg market."

Ralphs, Albertsons and Stater Bros. sent memos to store managers to help them explain to customers that Exotic Newcastle is harmless to humans.

Bill Roenigk, vice president of the National Chicken Council in Washington, D. C., said that although California is a major player in the egg industry, the epidemic would have to become much worse before prices and supplies were noticeably changed.

"Clearly, this is not only on our radar screen, but something that the entire industry is concerned about because it is a very serious situation," Roenigk said. "At the same time, we remain confident that the USDA and the other people involved will get this disease under control and eliminate it as quickly as possible."

Don Bell, poultry specialist emeritus for UC Riverside, said that for the last four years egg producers in the Inland Empire and throughout the country have been losing money.

Bell said the loss of nearly 12 million chickens during the last outbreak of a nondomestic strain of Newcastle disease in the mid-1970s was in part why egg prices paid to producers shot up from an average of 25.5 cents a dozen in 1971 to 50.6 cents a dozen in 1973. Another major reason, he said, was a sharp rise in chicken feed prices that had to be passed on.

Bell said in the 1970s, chicken kills to eradicate Newcastle disease wiped out some egg farms more than once. He said some farms closed down for good.

The poultry industry in California has changed dramatically since the last Exotic Newcastle outbreak, Bell said. Since the early 1970s, he said, the state's population of egg-laying hens has declined almost in half from 42 million to 22 million. He attributed the industry decline in California to urbanization and poor returns that have discouraged the children of chicken farmers from staying in the business.

At the same time, he said, the state's population has grown. The result is that while California in the early 1970s produced surplus eggs that were sold to other parts of the country, it now must import eggs from other states to meet consumer demand.

Also, Bell said in the last 30 years, California's remaining egg producers have greatly enlarged and consolidated.

"Companies are bigger and can't make decisions to quit as easily," Bell said.

Staff writers Jonathan Shikes and Leslie Berkman contributed to this report. Reach Jack Katzanek at (909) 368-9553 or jkatzanek@pe.com



KNBC-TV, CA

San Diego Animal Parks Close Aviaries In Wake Of Disease
3,400 Birds At Risk

POSTED: 10:24 a.m. PST January 1, 2003

REF: http://www.nbc4.tv/news/1864158/detail.html

LOS ANGELES -- The San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park have closed their walkthrough aviaries to prevent rare birds from contracting a deadly disease threatening California's $3 billion poultry industry.

A zoo official says a total 3,400 birds from both facilities are at risk of contracting Exotic Newcastle Disease.

The virus is harmless to humans but is fatal to birds, and it can be spread on clothing or shoes of people who have come in contact with it.

Tuesday's closures come a day after state officials ordered the destruction of one million infected chickens at an egg farm in San Bernardino county.

Since the outbreak was discovered in September, all or part of San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles and Orange counties have been placed under quarantine.

A vaccine is available for the disease but is only about 70 to 80 percent effective.

Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



North County Times, CA

Ag's twin threats: fruit flies, Newcastle disease

BRADLEY J. FIKES
Staff Writer

REF: http://www.nctimes.net/news/2003/20030101/55842.html

San Diego County's $1.3 billion agriculture industry goes into the new year facing a nearly unprecedented combination of threats to its fruit crops and poultry from the Mexican fruit fly and Exotic Newcastle disease.

It's too early to tell what the total economic damage will be, say local farmers and Kathleen Thuner, the county's agricultural commissioner.

But already, nearly $125 million worth of avocados, citrus and egg production are threatened, not counting poultry threatened in other parts of Southern California.

And that's the direct damage only. The cost of control measures, such as spraying for fruit flies and the lost payroll from idled agricultural workers will have to be added to the total.

"I cannot recall having had both an animal disease and a plant pest in the county at the same time," Thuner said.

The twin threats materialized swiftly toward the end of 2002:

In mid-November, discovery of Mexican fruit flies near Valley Center prompted a 117-square-mile quarantine around the area on exports of avocado and citrus that the fruit fly infests.

The avocado industry in San Diego County is concentrated in Fallbrook and Valley Center. Officials say about $75 million worth of fruit in the quarantine area may be lost if the infestation cannot be defeated swiftly.

On Monday, the discovery of Exotic Newcastle disease at a poultry farm in Ramona caused another quarantine, this time on exports or imports of eggs from all of San Diego County.

The egg business in San Diego County is worth $48 million a year, according to the San Diego County Farm Bureau.

The Ramona farm's entire flock of more than 85,000 birds was destroyed to stop the highly contagious viral infection from spreading. Harmless to humans, the disease can destroy all kinds of poultry and other birds.

About 20 to 30 poultry farms are estimated to exist in the county. Most are located in Valley Center and Ramona.

Uninvited guests

Fruit flies ---- such as the Mexican, Mediterranean and Oriental species ---- are common unwanted visitors to San Diego County. A fruit fly infestation in Fallbrook two years ago led to a quarantine in that area. Smaller discoveries of fruit flies that did not warrant quarantines have been reported since then.

But while animal diseases are relatively less common than plant pests, they can be much more contagious and deadly. Exotic Newcastle disease is one of the most serious.

"It looks to me like it has all the portents of becoming every bit as bad as the 1971 outbreak in terms of Southern California," Thuner said.

Eradicating that outbreak took three years and $56 million of taxpayer dollars, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Nearly 12 million birds were destroyed throughout Southern California.

Differing threats

A major difference between the fruit fly and Exotic Newcastle disease outbreaks is that the latter spreads its damage far more quickly.

Fruit fly infestations can be treated over a period of weeks or months. Fruit flies typically lay their eggs underneath the skin of fruit. The larvae that hatch eat their way through the fruit, destroying it.

Avocados, the most valuable crop threatened, are less vulnerable than citrus. They can be left on trees while pesticides and other treatments are used. If the quarantine is lifted by late spring, much of the crop can be harvested and sold as whole fruit.

Grower Bob Siemer said he and his partner have an estimated $400,000 to $500,000 worth of avocados in their groves in the quarantine areas. Without the quarantine, Siemer said, he'd probably start picking in February or March, but at best he won't be able to pick until the end of April.

"I'd like to get some fruit off early, for cash-flow purposes, and because having some fruit off helps strengthen the trees," Siemer said. Aside from that consideration, Siemer said, the price he can command for the avocados is uncertain, because so many factors affect their value, such as how much of a supply other farmers put onto the market.

Exotic Newcastle disease doesn't allow for calculations over that time scale. The disease spreads so rapidly that the decision on whether to destroy a flock of poultry must be made in hours. After a flock is destroyed, the farm must be free of birds for about two weeks before replacements can be brought in.

One of the most worrisome aspects of this outbreak, Thuner said, is that it came from noncommercial bird owners. That means the origin and spread of the disease is much harder to track than if it came from commercial sources.

David Banner, who manages an avocado farm and owns Banner's Exotics in Escondido, faces both threats. Banner has three show birds at the farm.

"We're dealing with the Mexican fruit fly right now and now we've got another one to worry about," Banner said. "It's one thing after the next. It's like, when's it going to end?"

Common bond

"There's a common bond between the two issues. The common bond is, this is an insect and a disease that we don't have here," said Eric Larson, executive director of the Farm Bureau.

"Somebody brought them in. They were manually transported into this county. So, someone illegally transported a disease-carrying bird and an insect-infested fruit into this county. We have safeguards against that, but what people need to understand is the devastating effect when that happens," Larson said.

"It's not a game when the border agents ask if you are carrying any fruits, vegetables or livestock into the country. That's the reason they ask those questions, because of the potential for disease and insects. Here we have two graphic examples of what that can do."

Contact staff writer Bradley J. Fikes at bfikes@nctimes.com or (760) 739-6641.

1/1/03



San Diego Union Tribune, CA

Poultry growers, bird owners fear Newcastle virus

By Elizabeth Fitzsimons and Brian E. Clark
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITERS

January 1, 2003

REF: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/northcounty/20030101-9999_1mi1castle.html

RAMONA – Euthanizing 73,000 chickens at a Ramona egg ranch infected with exotic Newcastle disease began yesterday as officials pored over records to determine how the disease reached San Diego County.

There is no cure for the highly contagious avian virus, which kills all types of birds. To check its spread, entire flocks are killed. A quarantine was put in effect to prevent the transportation of live birds and most poultry products from the county. Eggs can still be marketed.

Commercial concerns and the owners of pet birds are taking extreme precautions to protect their animals. The San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park closed their walk-through aviaries yesterday.

Exotic Newcastle disease does not harm humans, even if meat or eggs from an infected bird are consumed. The virus can be spread by shoes, clothing and vehicles.

It could take several days to destroy all the birds at Ramona Egg Enterprises Inc., where the disease was confirmed in two birds Sunday.

Gerardo Ochoa, manager of the ranch on Old Julian Highway, said two of 20 dead birds collected last week were found to be infected. Ochoa said he had seen no obvious symptoms of disease in the flock.

"This happens and we don't know where it came from," said Ochoa, shaking his head. "I've never gone through this. I've been here 26 years and never had a disease like this."

An inspector from the U.S. Department of Agriculture disinfected trucks entering and leaving the property yesterday, including a feed truck and a truck that carried several canisters of carbon dioxide.

"We saturate the tire and the wheel well, anything that might sling up dirt from the premises," said the inspector, Lester Grigsby.

The birds to be killed are loaded into a large container and gassed with carbon dioxide. They are buried in a landfill.

How long the process takes depends on how many people are assigned to the task, said Larry Hawkins, a USDA spokesman. It took four days to destroy a commercial flock of 100,000 birds in Riverside County.

"Our goal is to do it as soon as possible," Hawkins said. "The birds, as long as they are alive, are shedding the virus. If we know the birds are infected and some of the birds are going to show clinical signs, we don't want the birds to suffer from the disease either."

The Ramona ranch was the third commercial flock in Southern California to be infected with exotic Newcastle. The outbreak was first detected in October, in backyard chicken flocks in Los Angeles County. Since then Orange, San Diego and Los Angeles counties and portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties have come under quarantine.

Poultry operations throughout the region have been on alert for months.

At Pine Hills Ranch on state Route 78, a customer who pulled into the drive-through egg stand yesterday questioned the stand's manager, Fran Folker, about the disease.

Folker assured her that the ranch, which has 1.1 million birds, had been following strict safety precautions.

"Any vehicle that goes in has to be sprayed and the workers all have to change their clothes and wear booties on their feet. They're all very careful," Folker said. "We've had people coming here for 40, 50 years buying eggs. They wouldn't go anywhere else."

The arrival of the disease in San Diego County had many private bird owners asking what they should do.

"If pet owners truly value their birds, they will be very careful and stay away from other bird people," said Johan Otter, president of the North County Aviculturists Association.

Alfonso Guajardo, a county veterinarian, said pet bird owners should stay away from places where bird owners meet.

"Not so much because of the birds, but because you don't know where the owners have been and what they have on their clothes," Guajardo said.

At bird stores, "people who handle birds should wash hands and customers should walk through disinfectant trays at the entrances to their stores," he said. "Also, bird owners should not buy birds that come from unknown sources."

There is typically one case of exotic Newcastle disease reported yearly in San Diego County. Usually, the infected bird is a pet that was smuggled into the country, said county veterinarian Kerry Mahoney. Parrots can spread the virus for a year or more without showing symptoms, she said.

Sherri Snider, assistant manager at Bird Crazy on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, said her store has required customers to use foot and hand washes since October. The store, in business for 16 years, has about 5,000 birds.

"In fact, we've always had a hand wash to sanitize hands, so that's not new," she said. "We want to protect our birds. They are like family."

The store has stopped buying birds from vendors in quarantined counties and has told clients from those areas to stop bringing birds in for grooming or boarding.

Wanda Belcher, vice president of the North County Aviculturists Association, said, "No one comes on my property I don't know."

Otter said he has added extra netting to the yard where he keeps his birds at his Escondido home to keep crows and other wild birds out, though officials say wild birds do not typically carry the virus.

"No strangers have been to our house to see the birds since October," Otter said. ". . . when I come home after I go to the feed store, I spray my shoes, launder my clothes and take a shower before getting in contact with my birds."

Art Ammon, a retired Carlsbad real estate broker, recalled the government team that came to his house during a major exotic Newcastle outbreak in the 1970s.

"I had 100 parakeets and cockatiels and they destroyed them all because I had bought two birds from a San Diego dealer who turned out to have infected birds," he said. "Ultimately, they gave me a clean bill of health, but by then my birds were gone."

Elizabeth Fitzsimons: (760) 752-6743; elizabeth.fitzsimons@uniontrib.com

Clark: (760) 752-6761; brian.clark@uniontrib.com



The Desert Sun, CA

New outbreaks of exotic Newcastle disease discovered in state
Birds in San Bernardino, San Diego counties tested positive

By Lou Hirsh
The Desert Sun
January 1, 2003

REF: http://www.thedesertsun.com/news/stories/features/1041396501.shtml

State officials have expanded the quarantine zone and ordered more than a million chickens destroyed after exotic Newcastle disease was found in two additional commercial chicken flocks.

Containment efforts were expanded to San Diego and Orange counties after a San Diego County facility near Ramona, and another ranch in San Bernardino County, both tested positive earlier this week.

Authorities last week destroyed more than 100,000 chickens near Riverside after tests confirmed that the highly virulent disease had spread from backyard flocks to commercial poultry farms in the area. Officials are not identifying the exact location of any sightings.

Leticia Rico, spokeswoman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, said Tuesday that Orange County was placed on the quarantine primarily because of the risk of infected birds being transported through there.

"Orange County was included even though no cases have been found there, and there are no commercial poultry businesses there," Rico said. "But it is surrounded by counties that do have those facilities and that posed a risk."

The quarantine already included western Riverside County, including the western areas of the Coachella Valley, as well as western San Bernardino County and Los Angeles County.

Authorities are prohibiting the movement of chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, grouse, partridges, pheasants, quail, pigeons, guinea fowl, peafowl, doves, swans and ratites (such as emus and ostriches).

Newcastle disease is a contagious and fatal viral disease that affects all species of birds and is threatening the state’s $3 billion poultry industry.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the disease poses no threat to humans, but can be transmitted by humans on their clothes or shoes.

Rico said state authorities are working with veterinarians and poultry ranchers to guard against the spread of the disease while flocks are inspected.

Bob Krauter, spokesman for the California Farm Bureau Federation, said Tuesday that farmers around the state have been on heightened awareness about animal-borne diseases.

"I imagine there was already a strong bio-security plan in place well before this latest outbreak," he said.

Krauter said that while the financial strain could be significant for farmers who had birds destroyed, the farm bureau federation does not anticipate consumer egg prices rising significantly as long as further losses are minimized.

The current outbreak has so far been seen only on egg-producing farms in Southern California. Chicken meat production is concentrated primarily in the state’s San Joaquin Valley, Krauter said.

State and federal agriculture officials imposed the original three-county quarantine Nov. 13 after the disease was diagnosed in a backyard flock on Oct. 1. Properly washed and sanitized eggs can be moved from the quarantine area, but live birds and poultry meat are not to be moved.

Commercial poultry is routinely vaccinated against the disease, but new strains of Newcastle disease can occur, according to the USDA.



Oakland Tribune, CA

Article Last Updated: Wednesday, January 01, 2003 - 3:26:45 AM MST

Farm officials order a million chickens killed

Exotic Newcastle Disease prompts state-ordered quarantines in five Southern California counties

By Chelsea J. Carter, Associated Press

REF: http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82%257E1865%257E1083998,00.html

Agriculture officials ordered more than a million chickens destroyed and expanded a quarantine to include five Southern California counties after finding new cases of Exotic Newcastle Disease, which threatens the state's $3 billion poultry industry.

This week's orders mark the latest efforts by state and federal food and agriculture officials to stem the spread of the disease, which is harmless to humans but fatal to poultry.

This outbreak was revealed in September in Los Angeles County backyard flocks.

In the past two weeks, infected chickens have been found at commercial farms in portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, officials said. On Monday, the California Department of Food and Agriculture ordered the destruction of more than 1 million chickens at commercial farms in San Diego and San Bernardino counties after diseased chickens were found.

"We are concerned about the potential for spread to other flocks, not only commercial flocks but backyard flocks," Larry Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said Tuesday. "It's adds a new dimension to the outbreak."

The quarantine initially prohibited the movement of poultry and poultry products in Los Angeles and portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Officials expanded the quarantine to include San Diego and Orange counties, although no cases have been reported in Orange County, said a state department of agriculture spokeswoman.

A statewide outbreak of the disease in the 1970s threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply and led authorities to destroy nearly 12 million chickens. It cost $56 million to eradicate the disease. So far, no northern flocks have been affected by this outbreak.

California is the nation's third-largest egg producer. More than half the state's 12 million egg-laying hens are in the quarantine zone.

"With its ability to move into commercial flocks and the way it has moved, we need substantial help from the federal government," said Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation. "We just can't wait a week or two weeks. We need bodies out here now."

The disease has not been detected in Northern California flocks, Rico said, but a task force of state and federal agriculture officials and scientists have been monitoring there as well.

The task force was also trying to trace the origin and distribution of the disease, he said.

"We are looking at where chickens were sold, where they were bought, where employees have been, who owns birds personally, all of those things that would allow us to see if we can find a link between the infected flocks," he said.

Under the quarantine, owners of commercial poultry must immediately report any signs of the disease and any unexpected decrease in egg production.

The latest cases were discovered by commercial farm owners, Rico said.

The owner on a poultry ranch in Ramona, about 20 miles northeast of San Diego, reported a possible infection after noticing a higher than average mortality rate among his chickens. Sylvester Feichtinger told the North County Times that about 85,000 of his chickens would be destroyed this week.

Feichtinger did not return calls from The Associated Press.

Eric Larson, executive director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau, representing growers and ranchers, said bird killings were necessary because the disease spreads so rapidly.

"The real aim right now is containment," Larson said.

Some ranchers will resort to extreme measures to prevent contamination, he said, such as property blockades or special guards.

At Hilliker's Egg Ranch in Lakeside, south of Ramona, owner Harold Hilliker said he posted yellow signs that read "Biosecurity: Do Not Enter" in large black letters on fences surrounding his hen laying ranch.

Employees were also spraying the tires and undercarriage of each truck coming or leaving the ranch with a disinfectant.

If any of his 30,000 hens becomes infected, Hilliker will lose them all, and his job along with them, he said.

"It's like saying you have to take six months off without any income."

Associated Press reporter Catherine Ivey contributed to this report.



Orange County Register, CA

Disease fight results in 1 million chickens' deaths
State orders birds' destruction in San Bernardino County.
Wednesday, January 1, 2003

Quarantine grows to include O.C.

The Associated Press

REF: http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=18644§ion=BUSINESS&year=2003&month=1&day=1

LOS ANGELES – State officials have ordered the destruction of 1 million chickens infected with a deadly virus and expanded a quarantine to a total of five Southern California counties.

The "exotic Newcastle virus," which is harmless to humans but contagious and fatal among poultry, threatens the state's $3 billion poultry industry.

It was found in 1 million hens at an egg farm in western San Bernardino County, and they were ordered destroyed, authorities said Monday. Ranchers are compensated for all birds that are destroyed, said Larry Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

San Bernardino already was under quarantine, along with Riverside and Los Angeles counties.

State officials expanded the quarantine area to include San Diego County after the virus was found in a commercial flock of 75,000 birds there. Orange County was added to the quarantine list - even though it has no commercial poultry operations - to prevent the potential transport of infected birds.

Poultry and poultry products cannot be moved out of quarantined areas, although eggs can be transported if they are washed and placed in new packaging.

More than 100,000 birds already had been destroyed after the disease was found this past fall in a backyard flock of chickens in Compton.

A statewide outbreak of the disease in the 1970s threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply and led authorities to destroy nearly 12 million chickens. That outbreak cost $56 million to stop.



The Charlotte Observer, NC

Posted on Wed, Jan. 01, 2003

California farm must kill 1 million infected chickens

REF: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/4851990.htm

LOS ANGELES - State officials have ordered the destruction of 1 million chickens infected with a deadly virus and expanded a quarantine to a total of five Southern California counties.The exotic Newcastle virus, which is harmless to humans but contagious and fatal among poultry, threatens the state's $3 billion poultry industry. It was found in 1 million hens at an egg farm in western San Bernardino County, and they were ordered destroyed, authorities said Monday. Ranchers are compensated for all birds that are destroyed, said Larry Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

San Bernardino already was under quarantine, along with Riverside and Los Angeles counties. State officials expanded the quarantine area to include San Diego County after the virus was found in a commercial flock of 75,000 birds there. Orange County was added to the quarantine list -- even though it has no commercial poultry operations -- to prevent the potential transport of infected birds. -- ASSOCIATED PRESS



San Bernardino Sun, CA

1/1/2003

Egg ranchers wrestle with higher costs
By BLANCA E. SANCHEZ and LISA C. BERG
HOUSE Staff Writers

REF: http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208%257E12588%257E1083628,00.html

Egg rancher Ed Voortman of Chino is thankful that his chickens haven't become infected with the highly contagious exotic Newcastle disease, but the deadly avian virus has brought him another concern.

The state and federal Exotic Newcastle Disease Task Force has asked Voortman to get a washer to disinfect the flats that hold his hens' eggs. Previously, he had sent the flats out to be cleaned twice a year.

"They are asking us to put in a flat washer,' Voortman said. "We have to buy chemical pumps. That can be very costly. A flat washer is a good thing, but it's very expensive for a small producer.'

Voortman, whose ranch has fewer than 100,000 laying chickens, sells eggs to the public and to distributors.

Having a flat washer which could cost $25,000 would help prevent the virus from spreading to his ranch's chickens. But he may not be ready for such an added expense, he said.

In Pomona, Gary Flanagan's all-natural, free-range poultry business has similarly remained unaffected by the outbreak, but he is preparing for change.

Flanagan's store, Shelton's Poultry Inc., sells free-range eggs from a Riverside ranch. Eggs are only a portion of his business. Flanagan said he also sells chickens and turkeys he buys from wholesalers outside the quarantine area.

"If it would come to be, I would have to look for someone outside the quarantine area' to temporarily buy eggs from, Flanagan said.

But egg producer Voortman is already taking bio-security measures recommended by the disease task force, which has more than 240 employees from the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture working on eradicating the infection, according to its Web site.

Some of the bio-security measures include disinfecting feed trucks arriving at the ranch and providing clothing and shoes for his employees to change into when they come to work.

Voortman said he is spending between $200 and $300 monthly to disinfect trucks and other machinery, and for clothing for his employees. Everything that comes on the ranch must be disinfected.

"We are very concerned,' Voortman said.

His father ran the ranch in the 1970s when a Newcastle infection decimated the poultry industry in California. All of his father's chickens had to be killed during that outbreak.

Voortman said his father was reimbursed for the chickens that were killed, but lost six months between the time his chickens were killed and when he was able to start his business up again.

"If they would take the chickens I would have no source of eggs for my customers and consumers,' Voortman said. "That would pretty drastically affect me.'

The disease is not harmful to humans. People will not be harmed if they eat eggs or poultry, said Leticia Rico, a state agriculture department spokeswoman.

Since the disease is highly contagious between birds, those that catch it need to be destroyed to stop the virus from spreading, she said. The virus causes respiratory distress to chickens and gives them a greenish diarrhea.

The birds most affected are chickens and turkeys. If a bird gets the disease, it will die in four to five days of contracting the disease, Rico said.

The virus can remain on clothing or shoes for several days, Rico said.

Blanca Sanchez can be reached by e-mail atblanca.sanchez@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 597-8609.

Lisa C. Berghouse can be reached by e-mail atlisa.berghouse@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9354



San Bernardino Sun, CA

1/1/03

State moves to halt Newcastle's spread
More than 1 million chickens killed at local ranch
By WILL MATTHEWS, Staff Writer

REF: http://www.sbsun.com/Stories/0,1413,208%257E12588%257E1083642,00.html

State agriculture officials labored Tuesday to keep exotic Newcastle disease from spreading from the Inland Empire to the vast Central Valley, California's poultry heartland.

More than 1 million chickens were being destroyed on a large San Bernardino County egg farm just one day after the virus was confirmed by the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory.

Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture refused Tuesday to identify the commercial facilities where diseased chickens were found.

Identifying the affected facilities could jeopardize the USDA's ongoing efforts to track the origin of the disease and to eradicate it, said spokesman Larry Hawkins.

But workers outside E&M Ranch, a large Fontana egg ranch, were seen Tuesday removing chickens from a shed on the south Fontana property and putting them in a container on the back of a large truck.

USDA vehicles as well as vehicles belonging to the California Conservation Corps were also seen on the premises.

Federal and state agriculture officials said they hope to minimize the disease's impact on the local poultry industry and to keep it from wreaking economic havoc in Central California, where 95 percent of the state's poultry industry exists.

"It would be a big deal, indeed, if this disease were to spread into Central California,' said Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation. "That is why it is so important that we contain this disease now and stop it from spreading.

"Poultry is a $3 billion industry in Central California, and so if it spreads into that part of the state, you are looking at an impact into the billions of dollars.'

Last week, state agriculture officials destroyed more than 100,000 chickens on a Riverside egg farm after the disease was discovered there, and the identification of the disease at a San Diego egg farm will force destruction of another 75,000 birds.

The discovery of the disease has caused state officials to establish a quarantine zone that includes western San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, and all of Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.

Poultry and poultry meat cannot leave the quarantined area, though properly sanitized eggs can still be moved outside of the area.

Hundreds of federal and state agriculture officials have been deployed to the region in an effort to eradicate the disease which is harmless to humans as expeditiously as possible, and to minimize the impact on commercial facilities and residential poultry farmers.

Officials with the California Department of Food and Agriculture said Tuesday that diseased chickens are killed by gas or injection, placed in large containers and then buried in lined containers at local landfills.

State agriculture officials said it has not been determined which landfills will be used for the Fontana chickens.

Commercial facilities found to be harboring the disease could face immediate and significant economic impact.

Hawkins said Tuesday that all residential and commercial poultry owners will be reimbursed at a fair-market value for any chickens that must be destroyed.

Commercial facilities will be out of daily production for at least a month.

Mattos said it takes at least a week for an infected commercial facility to be sufficiently cleaned and sanitized. The facility must then be kept idle for at least an additional several weeks, Mattos said, to ensure that the disease has been eradicated.

Hawkins said that the impact of the disease on local consumers will be minimal.

"There is a sufficient supply of eggs and poultry meat from other sources that have not been impacted by this disease,' Hawkins said. "There will be no overall increase in price or decrease in availability.'

Exotic Newcastle disease was diagnosed in backyard poultry flocks in Southern California in October.

It is a serious and often fatal viral disease that affects most species of birds. Birds with the disease may have respiratory, nervous or gastrointestinal signs, but birds can die without showing any signs.

To report suspicious cases, call (800) 491-1899.

Staff Writer Lisa C. Berghouse contributed to this report.



The Press-Enterprise

Tracing chicken virus' source
MYSTERY: No one is sure how a disease deadly to fowl made its way to the Inland area.

01/01/2003

By SANDRA STOKLEY
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE

REF: http://www.pe.com/localnews/stories/PE_NEWS_nbird01.57c33.html

State and federal agencies are on the hunt for the elusive source of a deadly virus that is ravaging Southern California's poultry industry.

Some say the trail leads to fighting cocks. Others say it may stem from exotic birds smuggled into the United States from other countries or that the source is related to infected fowl taken out of quarantined areas.

The source remains a mystery, and health agencies are taking a cautious approach before announcing how Exotic Newcastle disease surfaced in Inland Southern California.

So far more than 1 million birds including commercial egg-laying chickens have been destroyed or are targeted for destruction in Riverside and San Bernardino counties and an additional 75,000 birds will be killed in San Diego County. The disease first appeared in Los Angeles County in September. The virus is harmless to humans but fatal to poultry.

The quarantine zone includes Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Orange counties. Eggs coming from quarantine zones must be washed, sanitized and repackaged before shipping. Owners are reimbursed for the birds.

No 'mother bird' yet

Larry Hawkins, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said Tuesday that investigators have been interviewing bird owners and visiting places such as feed stores where owners might congregate.

But he said they have yet to isolate what he calls the "mother bird," a bird or flock of fowl that was the initial source of the virus.

State and local officials have implied that fighting cocks may be the source of the deadly virus.

Hawkins brands the theory as speculation.

"I'm not saying it couldn't be true. But that is somebody's opinion, not a fact," Hawkins said. "There are too many other avenues for it to spread," he said.

Larry Cooper, a spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, suggested that infected fighting cocks brought into Southern California could be the source of the disease.

But Cooper stopped short of implicating fighting cocks as the source, saying, "We have not officially determined that as the cause at this point."

Rumors since September

Hawkins of the USDA said rumors that the disease was introduced by fighting cocks smuggled from Mexico have been swirling since the disease was first detected in late September.

Hawkins said it is far more likely that smugglers would bring in parrots, macaws and other exotic birds that fetch high prices from bird fanciers.

Vincent Bond, a spokesman for U.S. Customs, agreed. He said he could not recall a single case of people being found with chickens or roosters.

"What we do see are rare South American birds and South American parrots and other high-value birds that people try to smuggle into the country in clothing and jackets," Bond said.

The birds are often sedated so they will be quiet, he said.

Hawkins said there have been cases where smugglers quiet the birds by giving them liquor or drugs and then stash them under car seats or behind hubcaps.

Hawkins said birds are also smuggled in by airplane and on boats.

Group traces origin

Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, said a task force of state and federal agriculture officials is trying to trace the origin and distribution of the disease.

"We are looking at where chickens were sold, where they were bought, where employees have been, who owns birds personally, all of those things that would allow us to see if we can find a link between the infected flocks," he said.

Residents of the unincorporated western Riverside County community of Mira Loma, who have lost an estimated 5,400 birds since November, remain convinced that the large number of alleged cockfighting operations in their community is the source of the disease.

They are bolstered in their belief by a pamphlet being distributed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture that notes the similarity between the virus infecting birds in Southern California now and the virus that devastated Mexico's poultry industry in 2000.

Mira Loma resident Jim Smith, who lost 11 birds, said he was told by a state veterinarian that the disease had been brought in from Mexico.

"There are four or five different breeders of fighting cocks in this neighborhood," Smith said. "I don't know if they were actually fighting them, but they were breeding and selling them."

Walter Douglass, who breeds and shows champion birds, said it's not just game birds that are smuggled across the border.

"You have parrots and parakeets that are brought in and sold at swap meets," Douglass said. "That's why we need better checks at the border. They have dogs sniffing for drugs. They should have them sniffing for birds."

Staff writer Lisa O'Neill Hill and the Associated Press contributed to this story. Reach Sandra Stokley at (909) 368-9647 or sstokley@pe.com



Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, CA

January 1, 2003
Cleanup aims to limit bird virus
Poultry industry in danger
By WILL MATTHEWS, STAFF WRITER

REF: http://www.dailybulletin.com/Stories/0,1413,203%257E21481%257E1083359,00.html


Chicken carcasses are systematically loaded
into a dumpster at E&M Ranch in Fontana on
Tuesday December 31, 2002.
(Diana Mulvihill/Staff Photographer)

State agriculture officials are working to contain the deadly exotic Newcastle disease that has impacted millions of county poultry, fearing the disastrous economic effects the disease could wreak should it spread into Central California.

A day after the existence of the virus at a large San Bernardino County egg farm was confirmed by the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, more than a million chickens on the farm were in the process of being destroyed, officials said.

Federal and state agriculture officials are hoping to not only minimize the disease's impact on the local poultry industry but also to keep the disease from spreading north to Central California, where 95 percent of the state's poultry industry exists.

"It would be a big deal indeed if this disease were to spread into Central California,' said Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation. "That is why it is so important that we contain this disease now and stop it from spreading. Poultry is a $3 billion industry in Central California and so if it spreads into that part of the state, you are looking at an impact into the billions of dollars.'

Last week, state agriculture officials destroyed more than 100,000 chickens on a Riverside egg farm after the disease was discovered there, and the identification of the disease at a San Diego egg farm will force 75,000 additional birds to be destroyed.

Discovery of the disease has caused state officials to establish a quarantine zone that includes western San Bernardino and Riverside counties, as well as all of Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.

Poultry and poultry meat cannot leave the quarantined area, though properly sanitized eggs can still be moved outside of the area.

Hundreds of federal and state agriculture officials have been deployed to the region in an effort to eradicate the disease -- which is harmless to humans -- as expediently as possible, and to minimize the number of commercial facilities and residential poultry farmers impacted.

Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture refused Tuesday to identify the commercial facilities where the disease has thus far been identified.

USDA spokesman Larry Hawkins said Tuesday identifying the impacted facilities could jeopardize the USDA's ongoing efforts to track the origin of the disease and to eradicate it.

But workers outside E&M Ranch, a large Fontana egg ranch, were seen Tuesday removing chickens from a shed on the ranch's property and disposing them into a container on the back of a large truck.

USDA vehicles as well as vehicles belonging to the California Conservation Corps were also seen on the premises.

Officials with the California Department of Food and Agriculture said Tuesday that diseased chickens will be killed by either gas or injection, placed in large containers and then buried in lined containers at local landfills.

CDFA officials said the landfills that will receive the dead birds is still being determined.

Commercial facilities found to be harboring the disease could face immediate and significant economic impact.

Though Hawkins said Tuesday all residential and commercial poultry owners will be reimbursed at a fair market value for any chickens forced to be destroyed, commercial facilities will lose their daily production ability for at least a month, the California Poultry Federation's Mattos said.

Mattos said it takes at least a week for a commercial facility found with the disease to be sufficiently cleaned and sanitized. The facility must then be left vacant for at least an additional several weeks, Mattos said, to ensure the disease has been completely eradicated.

Hawkins said, however, that the impact of the disease on local consumers will be minimal.

"There is a sufficient supply of eggs and poultry meat from other sources that have not been impacted by this disease,' Hawkins said. "There will be no overall increase in price or decrease in availability.'

Exotic Newcastle disease was diagnosed in backyard poultry flocks in Southern California in October. It is a serious and often fatal viral disease that affects most species of birds. Birds with the disease may have respiratory, nervous or gastrointestinal signs, but birds may die without showing any signs. To report suspicious cases, call 1-800-491-1899.

Staff Writer Lisa C. Berghouse contributed to this report.

Will Matthews can be reached by e-mail at w_matthews@dailybulletin.com or by phone at (909) 483-9333.

Infected or possibly infected Newcastle diseased chickens will either be killed by injection or gas at their farms.

The carcasses will then be placed in large containers and buried in lined ditches at local landfills. The California Department of Food and Agriculture did not know which landfills will be receiving the dead birds as of Tuesday afternoon.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Agriculture will have a better idea of the disposal and means of killing the birds in a few days, said Larry Cooper, spokesman for the state department.

- Lisa Berghouse



Disease threatens industry, state orders more birds destroyed

January 1, 2002

By CHELSEA J. CARTER

The Associated Press

REF: http://www.pe.com/ap_news/California/CA_Exotic_Newcastle_Disease_93448C.shtml
REF: http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20030101&Category=APN&ArtNo=301010556&Ref=AR

Agriculture officials ordered more than a million chickens destroyed and expanded a quarantine to include five Southern California counties after finding new cases of Exotic Newcastle Disease, which threatens the state's $3 billion poultry industry.

This week's orders mark the latest efforts by state and federal food and agriculture officials to stem the spread of the disease, which is harmless to humans but fatal to poultry.

This outbreak was discovered in September in backyard chicken flocks in Los Angeles County.

In the past two weeks, infected chickens have been found at commercial farms in portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, officials said. On Monday, the California Department of Food and Agriculture ordered the destruction of more than 1 million chickens at commercial farms in San Diego and San Bernardino counties after diseased chickens were found.

"We are concerned about the potential for spread to other flocks, not only commercial flocks but backyard flocks," Larry Hawkins, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said Tuesday. "It's adds a new dimension to the outbreak."

The quarantine initially prohibited the movement of poultry and poultry products in Los Angeles and portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties. Officials expanded the quarantine to include San Diego and Orange counties, although no cases have been reported in Orange County, said Leticia Rico, spokeswoman for the state department of agriculture.

She said the only exception to the quarantine were eggs, which must be washed, sanitized and repackaged before shipping.

"We will not allow or permit poultry to move outside those quarantine areas. If it spreads beyond these commercial facilities, it could be a serious problem" for the industry.

A statewide outbreak of the disease in the 1970s threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply and led authorities to destroy nearly 12 million chickens. It cost $56 million to eradicate the disease.

California is the nation's third-largest egg producer. More than half the state's 12 million egg-laying hens are in the quarantine zone.

"With its ability to move into commercial flocks and the way it has moved, we need substantial help from the federal government," said Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation. "We just can't wait a week or two weeks. We need bodies out here now."

The disease has not been detected in Northern California flocks, Rico said, but a task force of state and federal agriculture officials and scientists have been monitoring there as well.

The task force also was trying to trace the origin and distribution of the disease, she said.

"We are looking at where chickens were sold, where they were bought, where employees have been, who owns birds personally, all of those things that would allow us to see if we can find a link between the infected flocks," she said.

Under the quarantine, owners of commercial poultry must immediately report any signs of the disease and any unexpected decrease in egg production.

The latest cases were discovered by commercial farm owners, Rico said.

The owner on a poultry ranch in Ramona, about 20 miles northeast of San Diego, reported a possible infection after noticing a higher than average mortality rate among his chickens. Sylvester Feichtinger told the North County Times that about 85,000 of his chickens would be destroyed this week.

Feichtinger did not return calls from The Associated Press.

Eric Larson, executive director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau, representing growers and ranchers, said bird killings were necessary because the disease spreads so rapidly.

"The real aim right now is containment," Larson said.

Some ranchers will resort to extreme measures to prevent contamination, he said, such as property blockades or special guards.

At Hilliker's Egg Ranch in Lakeside, south of Ramona, owner Harold Hilliker said he posted yellow signs that read "Biosecurity: Do Not Enter" in large black letters on fences surrounding his hen laying ranch.

Employees were also spraying the tires and undercarriage of each truck coming or leaving the ranch with a disinfectant.

If any of his 30,000 hens becomes infected, Hilliker will lose them all, and his job along with them, he said.

"It's like saying you have to take six months off without any income."

Associated Press reporter Catherine Ivey contributed to this report.

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