Changes in Testing Process for Poultry Industry in Wake of Influenza

Jose Abelardo Mai

Millions of dollars in losses have been recorded for the poultry industry in the north, but Minister of Agriculture, Jose Abelardo Mai, says that the country will not experience any shortage in poultry products since the Spanish Lookout producers will pick up the slack.  While the country had battled a similar case of bird flu back in 2016, but it was Spanish Lookout producers that were affected that time, how did the virus enter the country? Minister Mai says that it is believed that the disease came through infected eggs and so there are changes being made in the testing process.

Jose Abelardo Mai, Minister of Agriculture

“Broilers are short-lived birds; six weeks seven weeks you are slaughtering. So, we had to, what we have to do now is to do testing at day one chicks because we suspect that the disease came in through infected eggs. We suspect; those tests are still; we are still waiting for the results. But we were doing long-lived birds – layers, spent hens – all these long-lived birds. We were never testing he day-olds. So now we have to shift how we do things based on what we’ve seen today, the experience that we have today. We now testing on day old chicks so that if we catch the disease right there and then. So, you won’t test a broiler, six weeks seven weeks, when it ready to slaughter because that bird has gone all through its life cycle for it to be dressed and ready for market. So, we do at day one so if we capture the disease, it is going to be there and then. So, we are intensifying and doing things different based on the experience we had this time. Of course, bio-security is always the best. You have a disease, isolate, implement your protocols and you should be fine.”