Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Biosecurity measures have been a strong facet of both Creighton Brothers and Maple Leaf Farms' operations for the past two decades.
With the recent cases of avian flu occurring in Asia and Europe, neither company could put enough emphasis on how important health safety is for poultry organizations.
"The true danger from avian flu does not come from our inhouse production," Maple Leaf co-owner John Tucker said. "We've always had a very strict, mandatory rule on protecting our birds from outside dangers, and I feel we are more than prepared in case avian flu incidents were to appear in the United States."
The World Health Organization has strongly recommended Asian and European farmers confine poultry to prevent future cases, which is a procedure many companies in the United States already swear by.
Both Maple Leaf and Creighton Brothers house their poultry in controlled livestock environments that protect from disease, physical injury and unsanitary conditions. The only danger of avian outbreak would occur if an infected bird were to make its way into these environments, which Tucker and Creighton Brothers Manager Ron Truex said is highly improbable.
Both use "fully contained, vertically integrated breeding facilities," which raise poultry using inhouse feed and water, and produce birds inside of each company.
According to researchers of the Egg Safety Center in Washington, D.C., the H5N1 strain of avian flu, which has caused fatal human cases in Asia, does not poise a major threat to U.S. health. Sanitation procedures and controlled environments, such as what Warsaw's local poultry companies use, are a major factor in controlling and greatly reducing chances of any disease in poultry populations.
"Though there is a fear spreading between people regarding what's happening overseas, we have little to worry about," Truex said. "Many of the Asian cases are due to people allowing animals to run free through homes. People are likely not to live with animals here, so we're not in the same type of situation."
Both companies have mandatory regulations insisting that employees coming into contact with birds must wear extensive protective gear. Boot coverings, latex gloves, hair nets, biohazard suits and eye wear are used by both employees and visitors of the poultry houses.
"People sometimes thank me for protecting their clothing when I give them a tour of our facility," Truex said. "But, more importantly, I'm protecting my chickens from anything that might be brought in from the outside."
The H5N1 strain also causes a severe drop in egg production, which would be a noticeable indication, allowing both companies to spot the disease if it were to ever occur. Because humans cannot be infected through eating contaminated poultry, the dangers from the disease would be limited to bird populations inside of the breeding facilities.
"After hearing the news of the bird flu, we've honestly had no focused response in terms of our security measures," Tucker said. "For years, we've been prepared for something like this because of our continual upgrades to our biosecurity."
Tucker reported many people are curious as to how American industries would be affected, but sales have remained steady. His export demand has increased because foreign buyers know that American poultry is still clean of the avian strain.
Janelle Deatsman, communications manager of Maple Leaf Farms, assured that on top of self-regulated biosecurity measures, outside organizations such as the American Poultry Association monitor U.S. businesses to make sure procedures are up to code.
"There's no danger to the public in what we're doing," Tucker said. "No one needs to worry about our operations."
