Posted on 01/08/2003 4:54:38 PM PST by RCW2001
CHELSEA J. CARTER, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, January 8, 2003
©2003 Associated Press
URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2003/01/08/state1903EST0141.DTL
(01-08) 16:46 PST LOS ANGELES (AP) --
The federal Department of Agriculture on Wednesday expanded the quarantine zone for Exotic Newcastle Disease to include all of Southern California and declared a state of emergency because of the threat to the state's $3 billion a year poultry industry.
The federal announcement came hours after Gov. Gray Davis declared a state of emergency, releasing money and manpower to combat the disease that has required the slaughter of more than 1.2 million chickens since it was discovered at commercial farms in December.
Chickens in Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Orange counties were quarantined in late December.
Santa Barbara, Ventura and Imperial counties were the latest added to the quarantine zone, although no infected commercial chickens have been found in those counties.
"The purpose is to create a buffer zone around Newcastle Disease-infected sites. It provides additional security against the spread of the disease," USDA spokesman Larry Hawkins said.
The quarantine prohibits the movement of all poultry, poultry products and nesting materials from Los Angeles County and portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties, Hawkins said.
Because the disease cannot be transmitted to humans, eggs are being sanitized and allowed to pass through the quarantine zone.
California is the nation's third-largest egg producer. More than 9 million of the state's 12 million egg-laying hens are in the quarantine zone.
Since the outbreak, Canada stopped all shipments of poultry and its products from California for 14 days. Mexico, the state's leading export market for poultry, called for a similar ban.
Despite the ban, the outbreak has had little effect on the industry, analysts said. poultry and egg prices have remained stable.
"This isn't affecting the industry yet. We are still producing as many chickens and eggs as we've ever produced," said Bill Maddows of the California Poultry Federation.
The disease was first detected in backyard flocks in September.
In December, it was found at commercial farms in Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego counties. Backyard chickens infected with Newcastle also were found in Los Angeles County.
A task force made up of state and federal agriculture officials and scientists has been monitoring the outbreak since it was discovered. The task force also has been advising commercial farms on security measures.
"The biggest issue is to move in quickly and keep it from spreading," said Larry Cooper, a spokesman for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Cooper said the task force had begun door-to-door checks in areas where infected backyard chickens were found and implemented weekly veterinarian checks at all commercial farms in the quarantine zone.
"We're also starting to send some survey crews to the northern areas to make sure we haven't missed anything," he said.
Hawkins said the disease had not been detected at any commercial farm in more than a week. However, a backyard chicken in Ventura County tested positive for the disease, he said.
In 1971, a major outbreak occurred in Southern California and threatened the entire U.S. poultry and egg supply.
In all, 1,341 infected flocks were identified and almost 12 million birds were destroyed, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
The eradication program cost taxpayers $56 million and dramatically increased poultry prices. The disease was first diagnosed in California in 1950 among pheasants imported from Hong Kong.
The disease spreads quickly among birds. Signs of the disease in birds include sneezing, coughing, gasping for air, drooping wings, muscular tremors, paralysis and sudden death.
©2003 Associated Press
Even "backyard chickens?"
The place must have Mexicanized much more rapidly and totally than even we thought it was...
Southern California is not border to seaside cement. I grew up in the Inland Empire. Plenty of open spaces, room to roam, orange groves as far as the eye can see. Chickens? You betcha. My husband's family had plenty of the little clucks.
Not only that, there is a flock of "feral" chickens living under a freeway underpass, evidently there for many years.
I thought this was an urban myth but saw it confirmed, um, somewhere.
--Boris
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