Yucatán is the fifth largest egg producer in Mexico, the fourth largest chicken supplier and the first in turkey production.
Some 16 of the 162 poultry farms operating in Yucatán are in a “sanitary vacuum” due to the AH5N1 avian influenza (avian flu), which has been affecting the southeastern state recently weeks.
The problem, which was detected last November 18 in two poultry units, has put producers in check, since Yucatan is the fifth largest egg producer in Mexico, the fourth largest chicken supplier and the first in turkey production.
The contaminated farms are in a “sanitary vacuum“, the most important stage of the biosecurity system.
“It is essential to clean the farms, disinfect them, eliminate all the birds and even destroy the feed,” Jorge Manuel Puerto, president of the Southeast Poultry Farmers Association.
Afterwards, the authorities will authorize the entry of sentinel birds, i.e. unvaccinated chickens and turkeys in the poultry units where bird flu was recorded “and will monitor for 21 days, which is the virus cycle.“
“If after the cycle no contamination is detected, those work units will be released to repopulate with birds,” he added.
The producer reported that the federal government, through the Agri-Food Health, Safety and Quality Service (Senasica), authorized an extraordinary measure to avoid shortages in Yucatan: vaccination.
They vaccinated most of the population that was not contaminated against the flu, we started with the jewel in the crown, which are breeding birds called ‘heavy’, because they are the ones that lay eggs to produce chicken “and then we continued with the ‘light’ ones, which are the ones that are raised for meat production”.
The “laying” type birds for egg production “were also left free with the vaccine“.
However, housewives and other consumers created a scandal due to the high cost of chicken and eggs, when there was a slight shortage with the initial contamination of two farms in southern Yucatan.
Puerto Cabrera explained that the shortage was only 5 to 8 percent, thanks to the support he received from members of the Southeast Poultry Farmers Association and others in central Mexico, “they provide eggs and chicken“.
The AH5N1 avian flu story was detected in Yucatán last November 18 due to an “unusual mortality“.
Poultry farmers rely on three variables to detect problems: production, mortality and food consumption.
“In this case it was the increase in bird deaths and when analyzed it turned out to be due to the ‘new’ variant: AH5N1,” he added.
TYT Newsroom
