Backyard chickens. (Virginia Mercury file photo)
Pennsylvania lawmakers are moving quickly to pass a bill that would make more technicians available to test poultry for highly contagious bird flu as officials increase vigilance over spread of the virus.
The state House passed a bill Monday that would eliminate a citizenship requirement to become a licensed poultry technician in Pennsylvania. House Bill 324, which passed in a 161-41 vote, would make anyone who “can legally work in the United States in accordance with Federal and State law” and who completes training eligible to hold the virus.
Supporters of the legislation said it would increase the number of people available to test poultry flocks as the state continues heightened monitoring for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
The state Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee reported the bill to the full Senate on Monday afternoon, where it could receive a final vote as soon as Wednesday.
The legislation comes after state Department of Agriculture officials established a second quarantine zone for HPAI centered on the Middletown area of Dauphin County. The first was established last week after the virus was found among 50,000 chickens on a Lehigh County egg farm.
Lehigh County is also one of two Lehigh Valley sites where the Pennsylvania Fish and Game Commission said HPAI was suspected among thousands of snow geese found dead last month.
Department of Agriculture spokesperson Shannon Powers said she could not release specific information about the quarantine until initial test results are confirmed in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory.
The 10 kilometer quarantine zone is to ensure that birds that may have been exposed to the virus are tested before poultry and egg products are transported out of the area.
“Virus droplets are not only carried by wild birds, and on shoes, clothing, tools, and vehicles, but by the wind,” Powers said in an email. “The department also canvases the 10km zone for backyard flocks (i.e. those who do not sell their products) to ensure that they are aware of the risks and taking the same precautions so as not to endanger their birds and commercial farms nearby.”
Lancaster TV station WGAL identified the farm citing the Penn State Cooperative Extension but an official there did not return a call from the Capital-Star on Wednesday afternoon.
The infections are not a risk to the general public and poultry and eggs are safe to eat if they are cooked properly, but HPAI is highly infectious and usually fatal for domestic birds. Dairy cattle in other states have been infected by HPAI but cows are generally not affected to the same degree as birds. No infections have been reported in humans or cattle in Pennsylvania. Pasteurized milk is safe to consume, according to the Agriculture Department.
“We’ve got a crisis going on in this country right now when it comes to avian flu,” state Rep. Dan Moul (R-Adams), the ranking Republican member of the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee, said Wednesday on the chamber floor. “Just last week, we lost 50,000 birds here in Pennsylvania … Today, while we speak, we are depopulating 2 million birds, chickens, less than 10 miles from where we’re standing right now.”
Moul responded to Rep. Stephanie Borowicz (R-Clinton), who said she opposed eliminating the citizenship requirement.
“Whether they’re on H-2 visas, or whether they’re United States citizens, you can swab the rear end of a chicken without doing a whole lot of harm,” Moul said. “It’s not that difficult, and the more people we have taking these samples, the better off we are.”
Human cases of HPAI in other states have been mainly among agricultural workers with close contact with infected poultry and dairy cattle, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. HPAI presents a very low risk to human health, the CDC said.
The state response plan includes education and public outreach, as well as minimizing risk though strict biosecurity measures and continued surveillance, testing, and farm management.
If you suspect your poultry is infected with avian influenza, please report your concerns 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to the Pennsylvania Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services at 717-772-2852, option 1. Farmers or residents with backyard chicken flocks should check the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System website for information on areas where control and surveillance measures are in effect.
Anyone who encounters a sick or dead wild bird is asked to report it to the PA Game Commission at 1-833-PGC-WILD (1-833-742-94530.
People in contact with sick or dead birds who are not feeling well should contact a physician or the Pennsylvania Department of Health at 877-724-3258.