preston powerblast

cheers for that, but cant find their website.

Its a canker treatment, the best I have ever used. Its not an antibiotic.

Does anybody know where I can buy Rohnfried Gambakokzid from as my usual supplier doesnt sell it anymore you can email me @ powerblast@blueyonder.co.uk

Sent Defra an email last week to get some some info how myself and my employees stand with the avian influenza. this was their reply. Good afternoon The risk remains low that we will experience and outbreak of HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus) in the near future. You can find information on biosafety in the workplace on the Health and Safety Executive website on the following link: http://www.hse.gov.uk/biosafety/information.htm You can also find some information on human health relating to Avian Influenza on the Defra and Health Protection websites: http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/notifiable/disease/ai/index.htm http://www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/avianinfluenza/menu.htm I am unaware of any courses available regarding biosafety. I would recommend contacting the HSE to find out if they have any information on this matter. Regards Beth Wagg

Ther are lot of theories doing the round now. But like Bruno says you cant believe all you read. http://www.mercola.com/2005/oct/25/rumsfeld_to_profit_from_avian_flu_hoax.htm#

I am sorry Lindsay. but I think youve got your facts a little wrong. Farmer down the road does not inject??? Farmer down the road sprays his birds with a live vaccine, when they prene themselves the bird picks up a mild form of the disease then the said bird builds up a natural immunity to the disease. Poultry farms have to adhere to strict legislations. The pigeon fancier does not. Dont try and compare the two, because you cannot. Poutlry farm cycle is 9 to 12 weeks. Birds in birds out.

Personally I think they should put a tempory ban in place just to see how things pan out. I know its a great shame and another blow to the fancy, but in my eyes its better to safe than sorry. Some fanciers in my location are still letting their birds out and have said they will still do it regardless. They think it will not affect them. On the show front if they still go ahead then I think they should make sure everything is well disinfected including carrying crates and show pens. But it would be hard to regulate an accumilation of birds and people. But there are a lot of fanciers out there who just couldnt care less, they dont think it will affect them or their birds.

Web cams and do an online show, now theres a thought. But no featherless birds unless pre stated ;D As you say we shouldnt give up.. Regards Gary

Information received today, is that DEFRA is begining to pick up the pace. There are now lots going on behind the scenes in all directions. I am not at liberty to say to much at the mo. But all i am going to say is that i have just ordered a shipment of chemicals and equipment and I am going to be training some new staff members this coming weekend. But the general public are moe concerned about will it affect humans, they couldnt give a toss about what devastation it will cause to the poultry industry and other bird keepers. The message that I am trying to across is, we cant stop AI entering the country but we can stop it entering our bird sheds, pigeon lofts etc. So if you havent yet stocked up on disinfectants etc. get some in. There is now a vaccine for poultry. But there still is not an 100% safe vaccine for humans although Hungary reckon they are close to one.

Have you read this? http://www.defra.gov.uk/news/2005/051021f.htm

It just goes to show that people in the Uk are are taking the Avian Flu scare a lot more serious than the Government are. Sales in this country of Tamiflu have soared and a lot of uk suppliers have sold out at 68 pounds a pack.

Technical Bulletin: Avian Influenza Threat in Europe Highlights the Role of Effective Biosecurity Amid fears that wild birds migrating from Russia to Europe could spread the lethal Avian Influenza H5N1 virus westwards, the veterinary authorities in The Netherlands and Germany are taking action to confine thousands of birds indoors to prevent mixing with potentially infected wild birds. During the devastating Dutch Avian Influenza outbreak of 2003, the Dutch veterinary authority (The RVV) instigated tough biosecurity measures to bring the crisis under control.world leaders in veterinary biosecurity, recommend that poultry producers across Europe take precautions now to help prevent further catastrophic outbreaks of Avian Influenza by setting-up effective biosecurity measures. Poultry producers should ensure that their biosecurity measures are vigilantly enforced and include: - Effective perimeter control - Transport biosecurity - wheel dips and sprays - Foot dips - Hand washing and protective clothing - Avoiding stock coming into contact with wild birds - Thorough cleaning of poultry houses with a heavy duty multipurpose cleanser Most importantly, regular, thorough and effective disinfection of poultry houses - the Avian Influenza virus survives well in water so simple washing with water alone may assist transmission. Leading poultry veterinarian, Stephen Lister BVetMed MRCVS, recommends that poultry producers and governments maintain their guard and a high state of preparation with the threat of new outbreaks of Avian Influenza. "A cornerstone of preparation against Avian Influenza must be to maintain a constant state of vigilance against the disease. Control protocols for this highly contagious disease should be based on sound and effective continuous biosecurity appropriately applied. Emergency Disease Control strategies must be a priority for governments and poultry producers internationally." To ensure regulatory compliance in your country please read all product labels carefully. THIS IS A BULLETIN FROM OUR CHEMICAL SUPPLIER. But still no further updates from DEFRA.

At the end of the day we know it going to come, its just a case of when. How many people will actually report it? When will the public be informed? We still see a lot of curtain sided trucks delivering birds with no curtain sides on. If it does follow transport routes then where I live will be well infected as we have a chicken slaughter house on our doorstep. Its truley scarey when you think about it.

My God? I have missed so much not been on for a while. I have been doing a lot of work testing new stuff and new strategies, plus doing my normal work besides. There is much going on behind the scenes, but people are being told not to panic and everything at the mo is on a need to know basis. believe it or not Britain is more than prepared. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3435491a11,00.html Dont know if anybody has read this. I know its miles away, but its also miles away from Europe.

Thre is a lot more info now on this site including maps and and possible carrier species. http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/diseases/monitoring/pdf/hpai-centralasia020905.pdf

And what info did we get in the BHW this week about this possible outbreak?????????? Naff all. Are we the only ones who seem to taking this threat seriously. Ok If it doesnt happen maybe, they will think we were a bunch of kranks or that we were over protective fanciers. But if it does happen well who will then look the foolish ones then.

Ask Maria Johnny11.

Our dear Government only lock the door after the horse has bolted. Like the foot and mouth. Their answer is simple, if there is a big outbreak they will go on another killing spree. They have already said that if there is a mass cull then farmers will only get compensated for slaughtered chickens and not for infected ones. This being this case, will farmers report it? Because if all their chickens get infected they will receive zero compo. Out of 40 poultry farms that i have been in contact with, none have been contacted by any organisation and the the only info that they have had is what i have sent them. I have spoken to a friend of mine from the agricultaral college who advises me on certain aspects of Boisecurity. He seems to think if it does hit us it will be in the winter time. But any info will be on a need to know basis.

Here, here.

I thought thats what we paid the RPRA for .

I used to get it for free, when i used to write a column. I dont bother anymore as me job keeps me too busy. But I still buy it.

Wow, I thought i was clued up. but this lot has just shown me how out of touch i really am. Well done Bruno its made a very interesting read and by judging this lets keep our fingers crossed that it doesnt hit us bad. Cause by the way this lot reads we will all be F******

Article in this weeks Farmers Guardian: The risk of avian influenza or bird flu reching the Uk is likely to increase over time, the president of the British Veterinary Association has warned. While the government said this week the risk was remote to low, Dr Bob McCracken said it was inevitable it would appear in the Uk at some point. While the risk of the introduction of the virus in the UK is considered to be low, we must recognise that risk is more likely to increase with time rather than decrease, he said. The virus has already spread form South East Asia to Russia and is likely to be present in several wild bird populations within these countries. In the course of time these infected birds will probably pass this infection on to additional populations of wild birds. Eventually, birds whose migratory pathway includes Europe and the UK will become infected and wil have the potential to introduce the virus to domesticated birds in Europe. Dr McCracken said it was essential that preventative measures remained in place while an active virus was present in the world. We need to find the first introduction and not the 51st one, six months later, he said. Despite his warning, the government confirmed it would not be following the Dutch Goverments ban on keeping free-range poultry outdoors. The Experts concluded that it would not be proportionate fort he current risk of disease to introduce a general ban on keeping poultry outdoors. Said the chief veterinary officer, Debbie Reynolds, who represented the UK at the European Commission emergency meeting on the avian flu outbreak. At the moment we are not aware of any evidence that birds can transport this disease. We believe the risk of the virus spreading into the European Union via migrating birds is remote or low, she said. The outbreak in Russia has killed around 11,000 birds and led to the slaughter of 127,000 others as officials attempt to halt the spread of the virus. NFU chief poultry advisor Peter King said it was not surprising that the Dutch had taken such a radical step in response to the presence of thye disease in Russia. They experienced an outbrak of bird flu only two years ago when upwards of 20 million chickens had to be slaughtered. However, it is imprtant to remember that even then the disease did not spread to the UK, said Mr King. Following the emergency meeting last week, the EU has asked member states to step up sampling of migrating wildfowl along migrating routes. It has also asked customs and border control police agencies to enforce an import ban on poutry meat and feathers from infected areas of Asia. Contigency plans in the event of an outbreak of avian influenza disease in the UK wee laid before parliament in July. Once an outbreak has been notified, officials will have the power to order a preventative cull. In the slaughter protocol published by DEFRA, it specifies that "a major factor will be to get ahead of the disease. The slaughter would include those flocks which should they become infected would present a significant risk to the farming and poultry community more generally by contributing to the spread of disease. Shadow Agriculture Minister Owen Patterson said the government still need to state the circumstances under which the British flock would be compulsorily housed outdoors. We also need to know waht measures are being undertaken by the Government to monitor the arrival of migratory birds at sites in the UK and the infectivity of these birds, he said.

Virkon S is the Daddy. Its one of the best broad spectrum disinfectants. Who's will. ;D

Article in last nights Lancashire Evening Post. Title: BIRD FLU- Should we be worried. Bird flu is by no means new, with the first recorded epidemic occuring in Italy in 1878. Over the years, the 135 different types of bird flu have caused epidemics in many birds, including poultry, in countries all around the world. The latest outbreak, which has caused widespread panic across the globe, has been code-named H5N1 and is also known as Avian Influenza. It has been spreading through Asia since 2003 and so far 112 people are known to have caught the disease, with around half being fatal. Almost 150 million birds in the region have been slaughtered, but it has failed to stop the virus spreading with recent outbreaks in China, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and several reigions of Russia. There are now concerns that migrating birds could carry the disease from infected areas into the UK. Precautions have been set up in the UK in an attempt to keep the disease out of the country. These include a ban on the importation of chickens and meat from infected areas. Other recommendationd have been given in a joint statement issued by the RSPB, Bird Life international, Wildfowl and wetlands trust and The British Trust For Ornithology. Which states that wild birds for the pet trade from affected areas should also be banned. The Food and Agriculture Organisation is a United Nations based food agency. They have warned that that bird flu is likely to spread to Europe, the Middle East, South asia and Africa and are urging nations at risk to increase surveillance and prepare national emergency plans. Richard White, a bird entusiast from Lancashire, believes that there is a possibility that migrating birds could bring the disease in, but it is unlikely, he said, its best to be cautious. The wildfowl are the main carriers of bird flu, this includes swans, geese and ducks. Martin Mere, near Ormskirk welcomes thousands of birds of migrating birds every year, including many that travel from Russia. Some of those that make the journey include the Berwick's swan, mallard, pintail, widgeon and shoveller, although most birds breeding in affected areas will be migrating to the South and West of the UK. Mr White explained that many of the migrating birds are not flying into areas of Lancashire where they will have the chance to interract with domestic animals, and therefore could not pass on disease or ifection. He said. They fly mainly into salt marshes of the Ribble Estuary and the farmland of west Lancashire. In winter there are up to 100,000 widgeon on the Ribble marshes. In July the Thialand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, gave the order for a cull of wild storks over concerns that the birds were spreading avian flu. Mr White does not agree with this method. He said it would be practically impossible, not to mention an economic disaster. Birdlife International is a global alliance of international orginisations and groups.They share the same view and believe that storks are being needlessly blamed, with the culling being an extremely misguided attempt to control the disease. Richard Thomas, comminications manager for Birdlife International said. The wild birds are the victims in this outbreak rather than the carriers. So far all of the cases in wild birds have appeared to have died out quite quickly and the disease hasnt been passed on much further. It is not entirely clear yet how the disease is spreading, but according to some experts, the cases follow the roads and rail of poultry transport routes. All cases reported in humans have been in those who have worked very closely with chickens. It is thought that methods in south east Asia, where domestic flocks are often allowed to mix freely with wild birds, especially waterfowl, have resulted in the disease being passed over to the migrating birds. In recent months, between five and 10% of the world population of the bar-headed goose died from the virus in China, raising concerns over the economic implications of this outbreak. The major culls of infected livestock have added to these concerns, bringing back memories of the foot and mouth outbreak in the UK where, contrversially, millions of animals were killed. A meeting held last week at DEFRA in London was attended by experts from across the UK. At the meeting Dr Ruth Cromie from the wildfowl and wetlands trust, explained how the migration routes and the threat of bird flu entering the UK were both discussed. She said there is a possibility that bird flu may enter the UK, but at the meeting we consider the risk to be low... At Martin Mere there are large flocks of of birds that come in from all over the world every year. However a lot of these are hooper swans and pink footed geese which are from Iceland. The huge majority of birds coming into Britiain in the winter are a long way away from those affected areas and i think in Lancashire it should be alright..... Preston Powerblast: I think they need to look at the big picture and consult some proper experts. they are saying that if birds landed in the salt marshes that did carry he virus then it would be ok. They didnt mention the 450 wildfowlers association members who shoot wildfowl at the opposite side of the estuary all who have labradors and spaniels for retrieving the shot birds. Then in the next breath they are saying not worry Lancashire will be ok. This will become another foot and mouth if it hits this country it will spread rapidly especiall if it happens in the winter.