IAS Voluntary Standards Seminar
BY LAURELLA DESBOROUGH
Copyright Laurella Desbrough (eclectusbreeder.com).
All rights reserved by the author.
Proposed Voluntary Standards for
Bird Farms
At the convention of the
International Aviculturists Society
(IAS) held in Orlando, Florida, in
March, an evening seminar discussed
proposed voluntary standards for
aviculture that would require
testing and vaccinating breeding
flocks and young birds offered for
sale. Two of the goals proposed in
the Introduction to Voluntary
Standards were a "specific pathogen
disease-free flock" and "to identify
premium, specific pathogen-free
companion birds." The issues giving
rise to the proposed standards
appear to be four-fold: the sale of
unweaned babies to the general
(inexperienced) public, unhappy
buyers with unhealthy birds (both
individuals and stores), the concern
about product liability lawsuits as
a result of psittacosis (avian
chlamydiosis) and an interest in
improving the quality of avicultural
products.
The Proposed Voluntary Standards
Following are some of the proposed
standards that had been put forward
for discussion at IAS:
The
breeding flock will have been tested
for psittacine beak and feather
disease (PBFD); greater than 90
percent of the flock of Old World
species will have been tested.
Appropriate measures will be taken
with PBFD-positive birds. When an
approved PBFD vaccine becomes
available, all birds leaving the
facility will be vaccinated for PBFD.
All
parrots leaving the facility will be
vaccinated for polyomavirus.
A
USDA-accredited veterinarian
visually inspects and evaluates the
flock yearly with corrective
measures taken as appropriate.
All
birds (weighing over __ grams) are
permanently identified before
leaving the avicultural facility.
Only
weaned birds are transferred to
inexperienced recipients or
noncertified facilities.
All
birds leaving the facility are to be
serologically test for Chlamydia
psittaci. In the case of
positive serology, the test is to be
repeated in two weeks. If titers are
rising, appropriate treatment should
be instituted.
All
birds leaving the facility should
test negative for proventricular
dilitation disease (PDD) when
appropriate testing becomes
available.
Accurate
records are maintained of all
bird-related transactions to aid in
the identification of sources of
infected birds and potentially
exposed persons.
Deaths
in the flock will undergo necropsy
followed by a complete
histopathological evaluation.
All
young birds, during the weaning
process, are accommodated to
formulated diets to the extent that
they recognize same as a food
source.
Information
regarding parentage is to be
provided for birds leaving the
facility.
A
written sales or transfer contract
is provided, including a limited
guarantee.
Instructions
are provided to the purchaser
regarding the care of the bird.
Rationale For Proposed Standards
It is not possible in the space of
this column to address each of the
13 proposed standards. However, some
aspects of the proposed standards
need to be considered. First, do
these standards address the real
problems of the pet bird industry?
Second, what are the real
problems of the pet bird industry?
Third, in order to address these
questions, what is the specific
nature of the pet bird industry? It
seems rational that you can use
testing and vaccinating protocols
most wisely when you have answers to
these questions. If these proposed
voluntary standards are to be put
forward in a document that stands on
its own and supports the industry,
then the document needs to address
the broad concerns existing within
the avicultural industry. It is not
enough to address disease
prevention; the other aspects of
flock management must be addressed:
diet, housing, record-keeping,
hand-rearing, avicultural management
of the flock, safety systems,
services, marketing and public
relations.
Specific Concerns That Need To Be
Addressed
As stated at the meeting, these
voluntary standards will not apply
to any birds weighing less than 40
grams. However, populations of birds
40 grams and under are where
infectious agents such as
polyomavirus, PBFD and Chlamydia
psittaci are commonly found. Out
of these same populations, young
birds are routinely provided to pet
stores where they will reside in the
same environment with parrots
weighing more than 40 grams. The IAS
published information with the
proposed standards that in 1997 the
U.S. Center for Disease Control
(CDC) indicated that there were
1,132 reported cases of psittacosis
in humans between 1985 and 1995.
Some of these cases are indicated as
originating from a pet bird, while
the origin of others is poultry
processing plants. Over a 10-year
period, that is an average of 113
people per year. Just for
comparison, the U.S. CDC states
there is a projected 4.5 million
cases of dog bite victims who will
go to an emergency room for
treatment in 1998 (based on past
annual figures).
State Veterinarians' Concerns
The IAS published information
stating that USDA state
veterinarians are receiving a
considerable number of phone calls
from individuals complaining that
they have purchased exotic birds
that have proven to be unhealthy,
become sick or have died. The
veterinarians have reportedly stated
that the number of calls regarding
birds are far greater than for other
industries such as beef, swine or
poultry. This has prompted
veterinarians in some states to
consider proposing state regulations
and/or legislation on exotic birds
to control this problem.
(Apparently, the USDA veterinarian
for Georgia has already made a
proposal regarding testing birds
imported into Georgia prior to
shipment.) It should be obvious that
people do not call to complain about
their "pet" cow, because there are
none. We eat cows. People rarely
call to complain about the dogs they
purchase that die of Parvo. Similar
basic problems are encountered with
all animals sold as pets. However,
birds seem to be closer to people's
hearts and trigger a stronger
emotional response, causing the
owners of sick birds to take action.
A soon-to-be published research
study indicates that bird owners are
apparently more committed to their
pets, evidence more concern and have
strong emotional ties to their
birds. (We will review this study
after it is published.)
Product Liability Lawsuits
The reaction of some members of the
avicultural community to the product
liability lawsuit in New Jersey with
a reported settlement of $400,000
has been strong. According to
attorneys who deal with these cases,
such lawsuits are not new. When a
seller offers a bird for sale, the
assumption is that the bird being
offered is healthy (unless the
seller makes it clear that it is
not). There have been other lawsuits
on the sale of purportedly unhealthy
birds in the U.S. Even with testing,
diseases may occur, and lawsuits may
result. Proactive protection for
bird breeders is two-fold: a good
contract and a business liability
insurance policy.
Business Liability Insurance
In order to have protection against
product liability lawsuits, it is
recommended that bird breeders carry
a business liability insurance
policy. At present, many small bird
breeders have assumed that a
homeowner's insurance policy would
cover them in the event of a suit
related to their bird business.
However, insurance companies in the
Eastern U.S. are not renewing
homeowner policies when the
homeowner discloses that they have a
business in the home, whether or not
it involves breeding birds. A report
published by Bird Clubs of America
on this matter indicates that the
Farm Bureau offers insurance
assistance to its members. Reading
this report may provide further
information on this problem. (For
more information, send an e-mail to
dickivy@two-rivers.com.)
The Proposed Voluntary Standards put
forward by the IAS involve noble
goals springing from a serious
concern for the health of exotic
birds, involve a grand effort to
make positive changes in the disease
arena and seek to improve the pet
bird industry. When these standards
have gone through further refinement
and are coupled with the other
equally important areas of flock
management, they will offer great
value to the avicultural community.
The
breeding flock will have been tested
for psittacine beak and feather
disease (PBFD); greater than 90
percent of the flock of Old World
species will have been tested.
Appropriate measures will be taken
with PBFD-positive birds. When an
approved PBFD vaccine becomes
available, all birds leaving the
facility will be vaccinated for PBFD.
