Chicken slaughter due to Newcastle spread tops more than 1.1 million in Inland Empire

More than 1.1 million chickens have been euthanized at 10 egg farms in Riverside and San Bernardino counties since December in a fierce effort to eradicate the virulent Newcastle disease outbreak that started a year ago, state officials say.

Poultry owners in both Inland Empire counties are so outraged by the slaughter that they have started a Facebook page called Save Our Birds, posting videos and photos of California Department of Food and Agriculture workers clad in white biohazard suits showing up at homes in Perris and Jurupa Valley, among other places.

The videos capture workers pulling chickens from backyard coops, dumping them in trash cans and killing them with C02 gas pumped into the cans with a hose.

The main gripe is that chickens, pigeons and other species not tested positive for the deadly avian virus are being euthanized anyway, and that there should be a better way to corral and eradicate the virus without killing so many birds, which is traumatizing chicken owners who rely on the livestock for food or commercial purposes.

State officials, however, maintain that the best and most efficient way to eradicate the virus is to surround it in areas where it is detected and euthanize all chickens and other birds within that zone.

 

Speaking out

Several Riverside County residents spoke up at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting, demanding that local government reach out to state and federal officials on behalf of residents.

“I own show birds. They’re going to be euthanized at any time. They were not tested,” Jurupa Valley resident Felix DeLeon told Riverside County supervisors during their May 21 meeting. “They didn’t show me no proof of Newcastle. They say it’s out there, but I don’t have any proof.”

Mira Loma resident Aime Irwin said during the meeting she has watched CDFA workers kill nearly all her neighbors’ chickens since December. She said she reached out to several neighbors, who all told her none of their birds was infected with Newcastle, to their knowledge, but were killed anyway.

“We’re more scared of the CDFA and USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) than we are the disease,” Irwin told Riverside County supervisors. “We do need your attention on this matter. We need proof, and we need you guys to step up and ask for that proof because our voice is not being heard.”

Kevin Jeffries, chairman of the Board of Supervisors, told the residents his office had sent a letter to state officials, but had not received a response.

Essentially, the county’s hands are tied because the eradication is a state operation delegated by the state veterinarian, county officials said.

“Long story short is: state trumps county. That’s the bottom line here,” Jeffries said during the meeting. “We need state legislators and department heads at the state level to resolve the issue.”

Striving for compassion

CDFA spokesman Steve Lyle said eradication crews strive for compassion and professionalism in situations that can be very difficult, especially for bird owners.

“We understand the deep bonds people have for birds that in many cases are beloved pets. Our crews are deeply committed to protecting animal health and have dedicated their lives to ensuring the health of pets, livestock and poultry,” Lyle said.

Perris resident Kerri Hand said during the Board of Supervisors meeting that some Department of Food and Agriculture workers are showing up at properties brandishing firearms, one of which she claimed was left unattended by a worker.

Lyle said trained and certified USDA Wildlife Services biologists are assisting with the eradication project and use low-velocity pellet guns for semi-feral and difficult-to-catch poultry.

“There are extensive directives on safe use, and a pellet gun is the option of last resort when public safety would not be threatened,” Lyle said in an email. “The use of firearms by trained professionals is an approved method of euthanasia in the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals.”

Testing limited

In a letter released May 21, the CDFA responded to resident concerns about birds being euthanized without testing positive for virulent Newcastle disease, which affects the respiratory, nervous and digestive systems of birds and poultry. Tests do not always detect the virus in recently infected birds, according to the letter.

“Therefore, using testing to decide which animals to euthanize in areas that are already highly infected could cause the virus to continue to spread,” according to the CDFA letter, posted on the department’s website.

So, the CDFA is establishing 1-kilometer radius euthanasia zones around the areas where infected birds have been detected.

“The use of euthanasia areas is a common method of eradicating disease in animal populations throughout the world,” the CDFA letter said.

The CDFA and USDA encourage all bird owners to report sick birds or unusual bird deaths to state and/or federal officials, either through the state veterinarian or through the USDA’s toll-free number at 1-866-536-7593. Additional information on biosecurity for all poultry flocks can be found at www.aphis.usda.gov/animalhealth/defendtheflock.

VND

Virulent Newcastle disease, formerly known as exotic Newcastle disease, is a contagious and fatal viral disease affecting nearly all species of birds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The disease is not a threat to food safety, and no human cases of Newcastle have occurred from eating poultry products. Properly cooked poultry products are safe to eat. In very rare cases, people working directly with sick birds can become infected, but the symptoms are usually mild and include conjunctivitis and/or flu-like symptoms, according to the USDA.

Since December, 862,863 birds from five commercial egg farms in Riverside County have been euthanized, and 254,695 birds from five egg farms in San Bernardino County have been euthanized. Infected birds have been located in Perris and Jurupa Valley in Riverside County and Muscoy, Fontana and Ontario in San Bernardino County, Lyle said.

Since the outbreak was first reported in May 2018, the CDFA reported that an additional 66,000 backyard birds had been euthanized in San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, and Ventura counties.

“The reason for the increase in euthanized birds is detections at egg farms, where there are many, many more birds in comparison to backyard flocks,” Lyle said.

As to when the virus will be eradicated remains uncertain, as new detections continue to pop up, he said.

“The earliest the disease could be considered eradicated is four months after the final detection, but we are still regularly detecting new cases,” Lyle said.