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BIRD FLU, PIGEONS AND BATTERY
FARMING - FINDING A PATH OF TRUTH THROUGH THE MINEFIELD OF MISSTATEMENTS.
The BBC News health correspondent
has said that pigeons carry bird flu. We consider such an under-informing
statement as irresponsible scaremongering, particularly when considering
the public's general prejudice towards pigeons.
To avoid the public from panicking
about every bird they encounter it is important that correct information
is spread by the media. So far, much of what has been reported,
as well as actions taken regarding the outbreak in Suffolk, has
at best been mystifying and at worst, the blind leading the blind.
All evidence from scientific research
shows that pigeons are far less sensitive to avian influenza than
other bird species. Furthermore, recent research shows that feral
pigeons pose only sporadic health risks to human beings. The risk
of disease from pigeons is very low, even for humans involved in
occupations that bring them into close contact with nesting sites.
Moreover, wild pigeons are resident
birds and are therefore unable to spread disease from one place
to another. Humans however move from one city to another throughout
the whole country and are more likely to carry contagious material
and spread diseases. DEFRA's so called "bio-security" methods are
ludicrously insufficient. There is far greater chance of H5N1 being
released into the environment by trucks moving across the UK which
are carrying thousands of dead infected birds than pigeons spreading
the virus.
Racing pigeons do however fly from
one part of the country to another. Stopping these races (which
is now the case in the UK) makes some sense; but even in other European
countries, racing has not been cancelled due to the low risk of
flu transmission by pigeons. Ironically, other birds and poultry
must be kept inside after the outbreak of bird flu in Suffolk. In
reality, the greatest risk of viral contamination is a thousand-fold
greater in ALL parts of the UK inside the types of high-density
poultry buildings like those used on Bernard Mathews farms; crammed
with tens of thousands of birds.
To stop H5N1 causing infection though such close bird-to-bird contact,
wise consideration must be made as soon as possible regarding the
continuing presence of battery farms. Battery poultry farms are
H5N1 time-bombs and are increasing the risk of human variants becoming
a reality.
At the same time, meat eating consumers must also simply stop creating
this demand for poultry in such huge quantities. They are fuelling
the spread of a global tragedy.
Drs Marleen Drijgers.
John O'Donnell.
(Marleen Drijgers is a leading North
European authority in humane pigeon control)
Back to the main article on
Bird Flu:
Animal
Diseases for Dummies
More on humane pigeon control
at:
http://www.duivenoverlast.nl
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