(ARPIS) Egg Import Syndicate - from UK to Australia

C.K · **Posted:** Wed Jul 24, 2013 2:12 pm

Or 4 rooms in the 1 shed

FowlMan · **Posted:** Thu Jul 25, 2013 6:10 pm

Fancy chickens euthanased because of exotic disease

25 July 2013

A flock of fancy chickens, currently housed in a secure quarantine facility, will be euthanased because the birds are infected with an exotic strain of Salmonella that cannot be effectively treated.

The syndicate behind the importation, the Australian Rare Poultry Importation Syndicate Inc (ARPIS),informed the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) it consented to the destruction of the flock. The syndicate relinquished ownership of the flock on the understanding the chickens would be destroyed.

Australia’s import protocols require an absence of Salmonella pullorum and a number of other diseases exotic to Australia for any chickens to pass through quarantine.

This is because eggs and birds pose a high disease risk to Australian birds and related industries, which are worth more than $2.5 billion a year.

Salmonella pullorum is an exotic, infectious disease that can cause reproductive issues, wasting and death and our export markets typically require a declaration that Australia is free of the Salmonella strain to allow us to export.

The presence of the disease in the flock was confirmed a few weeks ago through a culture test which grew the Salmonella pullorum strain from a pooled sample from a number of birds. This testing was conducted under quarantine conditions from samples of dead chicks by Australia's premier testing facility at CSIRO’s Australian Animal Health Laboratory.

ARPIS conceded the need to destroy the chickens after DAFF allowed it to conduct its own additional blood tests to provide the syndicate with more information about the extent of the disease in the consignment.

The importer managed all the birds as a single flock so no birds could be assumed to be free from the disease. Australia requires birds to be free from the disease for two generations before import is allowed because birds can remain symptom free until maturity or until they are under stress.

The Federal Court of Australia’s injunction has been removed today and DAFF will start to destroy the flock under veterinary supervision soon.

While the decision to destroy the flock is unfortunate, it is an example of Australia’s biosecurity system working.

All animals imported into Australia are subject to rigorous health and quarantine checks in accordance with strict import conditions.

The purpose of a quarantine facility is to detect, manage and prevent the escape of exotic pests or diseases into Australia.

Australia has a robust biosecurity system – which is based on rigorous science – and provides a high level of protection for our primary industries and environment while also maintaining Australia’s reputation as a strong trading nation.
http://www.daff.gov.au/about/media-cent ... ic-disease

The highlighted text is very interesting when it was said repeatedly (not by DAFF) it was only 1 chick yet the statement reads "from a pooled sample from a number of birds" and "from samples of dead chicks" highly likely it was more than 1 chick a few weeks ago when first tested, Hmmmmmmm!

C.K · **Posted:** Thu Jul 25, 2013 9:02 pm

its a pity it wasn't made more clear earlier would have saved a lot of extra costs.

ladenly · **Joined:** Wed Jul 24, 2013 9:36 pm **Posts:** 1

They would have know when daff found out the results from the csiro 5 or 6 weeks ago daff would have shown them the results and how the tests were done they have to by law.

poultrygroups · **Joined:** Wed Jul 17, 2013 2:16 pm **Posts:** 9

I found this comment from a syndicate member elswhere and though he read my mind and summed up well

Quote:

It's just one almighty stuff up which will go down in Australian Poultry History as such.

P_Edwards · **Joined:** Thu Sep 29, 2011 9:50 am **Posts:** 71403

I have to agree thats how it will be remembered sadly

By the sounds of things communication was an issue within the syndicate also and I cannot understand why they did not set up a blog or similar for the syndicate members only to login and get up dates ect... right from the start considering its taken 10 years. These blogs are free and it would have meant the committee could have just posted once on the blog and all syndicate members only could read it there. It could have had a public area also for potential new syndicate members to read about the syndicate, how it works, pictures of the source flock, the breeders who supplied the eggs ect... To me it was a top secret operation that kept everyone outside the syndicate in the dark, the same outsiders they want donations from.

It is interesting they rushed to set up a web site at the last minute for donations (a week or so ago).

Just my thoughts on this.

FrenchMaranCoop · **Joined:** Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:59 am **Posts:** 5

That is a very good post p edwards I could not agree more on all points and yes an 'almighty stuff up' indeed they should have stoped when the disease was first detected and saved themselves over $100,000 I believe

P_Edwards · **Joined:** Thu Sep 29, 2011 9:50 am **Posts:** 71403

Thanks FMC I call it as I see it

PileHens · **Joined:** Fri Jul 26, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 1

~it is an example of Australia’s biosecurity system working~

Yes it is, well done to quarantine services and thank you.

parvo · **Joined:** Sat Jan 02, 2010 7:39 pm **Posts:** 735

What concerns me is that they make out that Salmonella pullorum is a disease exotic to Australia.

What a load of rubbish.
Salmonella pullorum is exotic TO THE COMMERCIAL POULTRY INDUSTRY in Australia.

It is, in fact, present in backyard flocks in Australia.

This is yet another commercially-driven directive.

Of course everyone wants to protect the local poultry industry and the native birdlife in this country, but issuing destruction orders for a disease that is already here...

There has to have been a better way to handle the situation.

Yet we still import agricultural products- fruit, vegies, meat products from other countries when we grow our own-, to comply with the world-trade agreement- and not every item from these countries is tested anywhere near as vigorously.

Hypocrisy of the highest order.

Having dealt previously with importation and exportation of livestock, including birds, in the past I am fully aware of the bloody mindedness that comes with some of these rquarantine requirements.
It was, after all, the same department which allowed the importation of parrots in the 19990's, despite warnings about 2 exotic diseases, which were ignored by AQIS because a) the cause of these diseases had not at that stage been identified (we now know that both were viruses) and b)- More importantly- they did not affect the commercial poultry industry.
So the result was that both diseases were diagnosed in birds that were legally imported through quarantine.

Commercial interests have the power.
We are but small fry!

Lessons should be learnt from this and with revision hopefully we can have another go at importation if we are ever given the opportunity.
But we need to dot our "is" and cross our "t"s

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