Posted on 04/24/2006 7:33:33 AM PDT by Lady GOP
If everyone in America was prepared for 2 weeks of survival, we would be a stronger nation by a huge margin.
The difference would be between night and day.
You're correct - we are dealing wiht 2 seperate issues here.....actually I think it's really 3.
The 2 you point out, and the 3rd being the economic impact of the devastation to the commercial poultry industry.
A cripling hit by bird flu to one county where the poultry industry represents $600 million a year is a major economic problem, particularly when the poultry industry is one of, if not the largest private employer in the county.
your egg sales will probably be among the last things impacted..............around here there won't be any eggs because if there is an outbreak at one of the hatcheries that supply the sommercial growers - there won't be any chickens left after they destroy the flocks at the hatchery.
>>>>because if there is an outbreak at one of the hatcheries that supply the sommercial growers - there won't be any chickens left after they destroy the flocks at the hatchery.
And yet....
China is approved to import chickens.
So our domestic hatcheries will be knocked out of competition.
That was a 74 year old doctor (begged out of retirement) whose peers nicknamed him "The Flu Hunter" due to his lifelong work with viruses. He said he already had 3 months of supplies stashed away. He said that after the press-conference where Mike Levitt (HHS chief) said to stash 7 days worth of dried milk and tuna under the bed, lol. I've gone with "Flu Hunter's" 3 month plan.
As you can imagine, I am not happy reading about that.....I think I'll go back outside and get back to garden work....I'll check back in a little later when I am more capable of responding to that rationally and without the anger I've got right now.
Yes, you're correct. If the industry is as well protected as you've stated, we could have a flu pandemic and the domestic poultry would/could be safe. Although, the fear factor could collapse the industry even if it's flu free.
"So our domestic hatcheries will be knocked out of competition."
My BIL runs the whole feed operation for Tyson Chicken here in Wisconsin. He says that they're battening down the hatches, wearing masks and clean-suits when they're in with the chickens, just to be on the safe side.
Well, he actually said "For eyewash if anyone is looking..." ;)
That's not how Tyson and Perdue deal with it hear on the DelMarVa peninsula.....nor do any of the other processors.
It's not eyewash. When my husband has to go service the Perdue computers his vehicle is disinfected as it enters, and as it exits. He has finally worked out a system with the people at the hatcheries so that they have the offending machine in an area where he doesn't have to go through the shower and bio hazard suit routine. And that has been going on for as many years as he has been dealing with the plants.
The last outbreak of bird flu in this region was in 2004. 3 flocks were destroyed, 2 in Delaware, 1 in Maryland. They were able to trace the contamination to a live bird market in NYC that a small grower in Delaware did business with. He in turn had dealings with the same suppliers, etc that the 3 other farmers had.
That is how easily it can be spread from farm to farm.
I'm not that concerned about spread from birds to people, or even all that concerned about people to people spread...my concern at this point in time is solely from an economic standpoint. I live in the 5th poorest county in Virginia, agriculture is our number 1 industry, and Perdue and Tyson are the largest private employers in the county.
I don't have a financial stake in it, but I do have a personal stake in it, as I have many friends that rely on the poultry industry for their income. Most can and will survive an outbreak, but there are a few that could possibly lose everything.
I remember some of the job loss numbers when the Bird Flu was detected in some European countries, the two I remember:
* Italy = 200,000 (I think they meant 20,000)
* Greece = 14,000
I believe that when the Bird Flu is detected in the wild birds here, there will be a 'mini-panic' into the grocery stores and empty shelves will feed the panic for a while and people will shy away from poultry products. It could be a substancial economic 'hit' for some areas.
I feed my dogs 5 pounds of chicken daily and I already have 600 pounds of frozen chicken on hand.
I'm not even talking about a slow down in purchases..........we've already had that in this region because we've lost some export markets for areas that have been hit with it. I'm talking about the entire economic impact on a region where one of the top agriculture porduct is poultry. They start having to destroy entire flocks, people are going to startlosing jobs, and then losing farms.
In the meantime. The midwest has mumps.
Good thread. Great discussion.
Thanks, FRiends. ;-D
I was just discussing that with a friend - because we know of 2 children that are unvaccinated that were just admitted to the school our children attend - and their father is a trucker who spends much of his time driving to the midwest.
I hope your kids were vaccinated.
Yes they were talking some of this is being spread in planes in the air etc.
Hi Judith..and like the dogs. One big, one little..ha :)
My child and my friend's children are vaccinated........but we are still VERY unhappy about this situation.
Thanks! ;-D
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