The fallout from the global bird flu crisis is taking its toll on multinational poultry companies
Avian influenza has caused an estimated 40 million bird and livestock losses, with economic losses ranging from $2,500 to $3,000, according to a new report from FAIRR investors.
Declining poultry numbers around the world are fueling global inflation in food prices and products, including eggs and ready-made food alternatives, but will also have a significant impact on protein producers and companies across the food supply chain. Involvement from some of the largest production companies in the world.shaved
For example, Tyson Foods was forced to meet two consumer demands for poultry, resulting in a $258 million loss in operating income, but this was exacerbated by staffing issues at its processing plants.
Avian influenza infection and its effects
The study, ‘Reinfected Industry – Highlights of the Economic and Public Health Impact of Avian Influenza’, was produced in conjunction with the University of Surrey and provides policymakers and researchers with a summary of the avian influenza crisis. Analyze the rise in global infections and the financial and economic impact on the food industry, as well as potential non-trade impacts and impacts on the global economy.
Analyze emerging policy recommendations that highlight the importance of unique health approaches to mortality risk.
As part of this report, an analysis by the University of Surrey concludes that the population density of intensive commercial poultry farming in the UK can provide environmental conditions that promote the spread of the virus, affecting or improving the health of both animals, and causing economic impacts .
Free-range farming, on the other hand, houses fewer chickens per square meter, which gives individual chickens a larger range to roam.
Movement and Transmission
To compare 2 movement scenarios and 2 different bird populations in dense conditions and outside free environments, this case study quantified the impact of individual bird movements on the spread of avian influenza. Studies have found that keeping birds in smaller groups with more activity can reduce bird deaths. This result may be particularly important for the implementation of disease control strategies, such as the translocation or quarantine of wild birds, and the introduction of vaccination interventions at useful times, thereby delaying the spread of the disease.
FAIR analysis shows that despite improvements in recent years, the poultry industry has had the worst average performance over the past 4 years (2019-2022) across proteins. The poultry industry consistently performs poorly compared to the average performance of other protein companies on waste, contamination and food safety indicators.
Suggestions and recommendations
The report makes some recommendations to investors:
- We must review biosecurity risks in the protein supply chains of ESCs and the companies they benefit from.
- We should get companies to invest in understanding their approach to avian influenza and other emerging disease risks, and encourage the addition of performance factors, such as animal health, that are only associated with reduced disease risk.
- We can use your voice to convince political decision-makers that policy changes to agricultural production are needed to reduce the spread of crops and reduce risk factors – this could include providing more space for capoeira birds and ending question. Restrictive confinement.
- Investors and animal supply chain companies can play a role in financing policy measures such as dairy cows with the right incentives (e.g., providing financial resources or incentives to political decision-makers to invest in dairy cow programs).
- All supply chains of the largest protein companies will need training programs to ensure a robust response to their products, such as investing in staff training in biosecurity, disease control and prevention.
Recommendations to political decision-makers include:
- The ministers of health and finance who will attend the 77th World Health Assembly next year should realize that prevention is often cheaper than response and only take short-term disease control measures, such as safety measures. Biosecurity is not a department, it is long-term. – Long-term preventive measures against crime factors.
- Policymakers must consider policy changes that may reduce disease spread or reduce risk factors, including providing more space for capoeira birds, ending tight restrictions, and promoting small-scale exploration. This will also reduce financial losses in the event of a disaster. These changes may be included in records and business agreements.
- Policymakers can provide specific funding, including for research and development of vaccines and other crop control solutions, while providing farmers with the funding they need to address other crop control mechanisms.
- To reduce impacts on jungle life and prevent the spread of disease between wild birds and capoeira birds, policymakers should consider preventing commercial exploration in areas where large numbers of wild birds inhabit, such as wet areas.
- The training program is simply to ensure that resource response plans are implemented based on solid technical knowledge at the agricultural exploration level. This includes technical knowledge of the importance of biosafety, hygiene, animal welfare and human occupational health standards.
- Given that many farmers rely on public support, policymakers can incentivize better practices to create more resilient and sustainable food systems by adapting agricultural support programs to address emerging crop risk factors.
- There is a need to share knowledge about best practices among stakeholders, including the role of academic research.
- They should also be viewed as new ways of mobilizing resources to reduce and prevent risks. These include insurance measures, solidarity funds, public-private partnerships for research and development, international collaborations and certification schemes such as Red Tractor or RSPCA Assured.