Producers seek novel ways to keep birds out of harm’s way

Free-range egg and poultry producers are exploring everything from hiring marquees to surrounding birds with netting if official advice changes and they are told to keep animals indoors to fend off avian flu.

Charles Bourns, chairman of the national poultry board of the National Farmers’ Union, said: “Only a relatively small percentage of chicken meat is free-range, but almost a third of egg production, so this is very serious. We are looking at all sorts of options, including netting, which would keep migratory birds [which carry the disease] out if you don’t have the facilities to house birds indoors. In future, however, anyone planning to raise free-range birds will need to ensure that they have facilities to keep them under cover.”

His comments came as the head of the British Veterinary Association said that it was inevitable that migrating birds would carry avian flu to the UK. However, despite the Dutch government’s decision to order birds indoors, the European Commission has not as yet told other European Union member states that they should follow suit.

If the official advice changes and birds are ordered indoors, it might be possible to secure a derogation under European egg marketing rules to allow continued use of the term ‘free-range’, said Tom Vesey, chairman of the British Free Range Egg Producers’ Association.

He added: “The derogation, if we apply for it and get it, would be good news, but how long will it last? What if we have to keep this up every year?”

Keeping birds inside for any length of time also raised serious welfare issues, added Vesey: “These birds aren’t designed to be kept indoors.”