Original source (on modern site)
The state also pointed an instance of three Sonoma farms that "regularly sent nest run eggs (unwashed and ungraded eggs) to be processed at a fourth"; those four premises shared a closely related virus with three others in the area, the report states. Even the collection of tissue samples, the tool underlying much of the state's investigation, came under scrutiny. Someone collected samples at two different farms on the same day, the report says. Both turned up positive. An additional flaw cited by the department involved employees participating in depopulation and disposal efforts at one site, then working at another site that subsequently registered an infection with a closely related gene sequence. Mike Weber believes that event stems from his facilities, and he points to it as a flaw in the epidemiological report. "We had crews from one site working to depopulate on another site," Weber said. "We moved them back, but it was during a fallowing period by the employees. They didn't go straight from one site to another. So there was no chance to bring the disease in their clothes or on their body." The confusion, according to Weber, stems from the Department of Food and Agriculture's simplified questionnaire, which asked if certain things had occurred without allowing nuanced explanations. Generally, Weber said, the local farm industry follows best practices. "I'm sure there's something we could have done that would have changed the impact here," he said. "But from a biosecurity standpoint, no. Except for hardening our buildings to intruders." Even as it laid out the possibility of contamination by either intruders or farm employees, the state agency noted that, "There is no absolute evidence that any of these risks caused such transmission; the sequence subcluster (sites) could have had common source introductions of virus, given the proximity of the premises." Since the start of the global outbreak in February 2022, more than 90 million birds have been affected in the United States. Most of those were healthy birds, euthanized on commercial farms to prevent further spread. California has been hit hard. Wild bird populations have long been viewed as a central link to outbreaks in commercial flocks, and the wetlands and open fields of the North Bay are popular stopping points for waterfowl migrating between Canada and Mexico on the Pacific Flyway. About 520,000 birds traveled through Sonoma County each night in the first half of November, the state researchers estimated. The recent wave of infections has been particularly devastating here, where egg and poultry production constitutes a $50 million industry. The two sides of the chasm agreed on the importance of one area of investigation, though for different reasons: an examination of the effects of wind in spreading Highly Pathogenic Avian Flu. As part of the report, the Department of Food and Agriculture cited a Dutch study that used statistical modeling to estimate that wind contributed 18% to the total amount of avian flu transmission among poultry farms. Weber, the local producer, took this as evidence that there was little Sonoma County poultry farmers could have done to prevent the onslaught of the virus. "From the very beginning, this has spread like a wildfire, and we have believed it was coming from the wind," Weber said. "That was the key take-away I saw. We could have had better biosecurity, and it wouldn't have had any impact." To Direct Action Everywhere, on the other hand, this was more evidence of poor practices on farms. "The report also details the threat that wild birds and wind both pose to commercial poultry operations. Reichardt Duck Farm's structures are not equipped to protect against these threats," they wrote. "The barns have mesh walls with gaping holes that would allow not only contaminated debris, such as feathers and feces, to enter the structures, but even wild animals." In addition to the research findings, the California State Veterinarian requested that recommendations be included with the findings. That office urged farmers and investigators to prioritize dead birds for viral sampling. Focusing too much on randomly selected healthy animals "can lead to delayed detection, which could in turn have resulted in higher viral loads in the environment after depopulation," the report states. You can reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @Skinny_Post.