Assessment of the risks of communicable disease transmission through the movement of poultry exhibited at agricultural shows in New South Wales

• Published in: Australian veterinary journal Vol. 88; no. 9; pp. 333 - 341
• Main Authors: Dusan, F, Toribio, J.A, East, I.J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Melbourne, Australia Blackwell Publishing Asia 01.09.2010
• Subjects: agricultural shows; Animal Husbandry - methods; animal identification; animal transport; Animals; Chi-Square Distribution; Communicable Diseases - microbiology; Communicable Diseases - transmission; Communicable Diseases - veterinary; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disease Outbreaks - prevention & control; Disease Outbreaks - veterinary; disease transmission; exotic animal disease; Humans; infectious diseases; Interviews as Topic; livestock biosecurity; livestock exhibitions; New South Wales; Poultry; poultry diseases; Poultry Diseases - microbiology; Poultry Diseases - transmission; risk assessment; Space-Time Clustering; surveys; Surveys and Questionnaires; New South Wales
• ISSN: 0005-0423; 1751-0813
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1751-0813.2010.00613.x

Objective  To assess biosecurity practices in the fancy poultry show sector that would influence the establishment and spread of exotic diseases in poultry in New South Wales. Design  A cross‐sectional survey of 105 fancy poultry exhibitors at seven agricultural shows. Procedure  Exhibitors were interviewed about biosecurity practices on their farms and their knowledge of exotic diseases. Poultry stewards at 18 shows were interviewed about biosecurity practices at their shows. Results  Although many exhibitors travelled only short distances to attend shows, some exhibitors attended up to 30 shows per year and travelled interstate to exhibit poultry. A network diagram revealed extensive connections and interactions of poultry throughout the eastern half of NSW. Five of 18 shows included cash sales without any record of purchasers; 46% of exhibitors reintroduced exhibited birds back into their flocks without a quarantine period; and 16% failed to wash cages used to transport the birds. There was a general awareness that exhibition of birds posed a risk to flock health, but knowledge of avian influenza and practices that could be adopted to minimise the risk of disease introduction was limited. Conclusions  The factors that could assist the establishment and spread of exotic diseases in poultry in NSW include the mixing of birds at shows, inadequate recording of exhibitor details at shows, inadequate biosecurity practices when reintroducing exhibited poultry back into flocks, cash sales associated with shows that did not include the collection of purchaser details, and inadequate identification of birds.