The Secure Broiler Supply Plan: Risk-Based Decision Making

David A Halvorson a, Sasidhar Malladi a, J. Todd Weaver b, Minden Buswell a, Jamie Slingluff a,

Catherine Alexander a, Timothy Goldsmith

a University of Minnesota, Center for Animal Health and Food Safety b USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Veterinary Services, Science Technology and Analysis Services, Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health

Secure Broiler Supply

• Goals – Educate State/Fed/Industry/Academic

partners about just-in-time broiler industry model and regulatory response to HPAI

– Establish risk factors & criteria to move products safely

– Infected but undetected

Secure Broiler Supply

The Response to HPAI • Regulatory response • Industry response

The Secure Broiler Supply Plan (SBS)

• Risk Assessments • Permit guidance

Response

• Regulatory Goal: Identify and eliminate diseased flocks

• Industry Goal: Identify and stop disease and move products under permit

Risk of moving from infected, but undetected premises

Secure Broiler Supply Key Measures

• Active surveillance via RRT-PCR testing and monitoring for clinical signs.

• Cleaning and disinfection • Biosecurity • Existing practices (eg NPIP)

Broiler Industry Movement

• Hatching eggs from breeder farm to hatchery

• Chicks from hatchery to broiler farm • Broilers from farm to market

(breeders to market should be similar)

• Broiler breeder pullets to laying facility

Eggs to Hatchery

• Chicks are hatched ~25 to 28 days after eggs are laid.

• Risk to chicks is horizontal

– Eggs and egg handling materials – Driver and vehicle – Hatchery equipment or personnel – Aerosolized virus in the egg room

• Negative RRT-PCR test and holding eggs for two days

Eggs to Hatchery

• Provided the applicable preventive measures from the NPIP program 9CFR145 and 9CFR147, and the SBS Plan guidelines are strictly followed…….fine print

• Risk of infection is negligible to low

Eggs to Hatchery SBS fine print

• Traceability information (premises ID, GPS coordinates, or other) is available • Flock production parameters are normal • The cargo interior and exterior of the transport vehicle must be cleaned and disinfected • The driver will not be allowed outside the cab or else the cab interior must also be cleaned and

disinfected • The tires and wheel wells must also be cleaned and disinfected before leaving the premises within

the Control Area • Hatching eggs must be packed in either new disposable materials or plastic materials that were

previously cleaned and disinfected at the hatchery • The hatching egg buggy wheels, the path to the breeder farm loading dock, and the loading dock

have to be disinfected prior to egg pick-up • Farm personnel should put on disposable boots, or cleaned and disinfected rubber boots, after

washing hands with detergent and before entering the egg storage room • Farm personnel should place hatching egg buggies on the loading dock but not enter the trailer. The

hatching egg delivery truck driver should load the eggs from the dock and not enter the farm egg-storage room

• The hatching egg delivery truck driver should wear appropriate PPE at the breeder farm and the hatchery as specified in the BWGP guidelines

• The hatching eggs and egg-handling materials should be fumigated or fogged according to procedures specified in the BWGP guidelines after loading onto the vehicle trailer

• The hatching egg delivery truck driver should not enter the hatchery loading dock and the hatchery personnel should unload the eggs from vehicle trailer

• The exterior of the hatching egg vehicle should be cleaned and disinfected before entering the hatchery

Chicks to broiler farm

• Test and hold strategy not possible. • Biosecurity measures for essential

visitors (e.g., protective clothing, a shower and change of clothes)

• Cleaning and disinfection of vehicles associated with essential visitors

• Biosecurity measures for hatchery personnel (e.g., footwear protocol)

• Measures pertaining to the movement of broiler hatching eggs from breeder premises in the Control Area

Chicks to broiler farm

• provided that applicable preventive measures from NPIP regulations 9CFR145 and 9CFR147 and the Secure Broiler Supply Plan are strictly followed……fine print

• The risk of movement of day-old chicks is negligible to low.

Chicks to broiler farm SBS fine print

• Traceability information (premises ID, GPS coordinates, or other) is available • Production parameters of breeder flocks supplying eggs to the hatchery are normal • The premises (farm of origin) biosecurity measures are acceptable to State and

Federal officials • The hatchery does not have other poultry on the premises except for day old chicks

hatched onsite and held for one or two days before shipping • The epidemiological assessment is complete (farm of origin) indicates no dangerous

contact with Infected Premises • Day old chicks will be placed in a 21-day quarantine at destination broiler premises • Two consecutive RRT-PCR results from breeder flocks are negative before hatching

eggs are brought into the hatchery • The State Animal Health Official of the State of destination must receive a copy of the

restricted movement permit within 24 hours of issuance • When the Control Area is initially established there may be eggs in the hatchery egg

room from flocks in the control area. Two five bird pools from those flocks should be immediately tested by RRT-PCR and found negative before permits are issued to reduce the risk of day old chicks infected via cross contamination from hatching eggs being moved off the premises

• Subsequently movements of hatching eggs from within a Control Area will be permitted according to the Hatching Egg Product Summary

Broilers to slaughter

– Test and hold strategy not feasible – Pre-movement Isolation Period (PMIP)

• Extreme biosecurity for a few days before scheduled movement.

• Effective PMIP increases confidence

– Pre-movement Active Surveillance RRT-PCR Testing

– Fine print

Fine Print

• During PMIP: – Non-critical operational visits are prohibited – Critical operational visits continue with strict biosecurity

• Critical operational visit biosecurity (e.g., feed delivery):

– Vehicle C&D (infected zone) – Dedicated vehicles (infected zone) – Routing to minimize proximity and contact with poultry – Driver does not enter the poultry house – Driver wears PPE and follows hand hygiene protocol

• Grower biosecurity: – Clothing and shoes dedicated to the farm – No visits to other farm premises – Communication

• Farm premises biosecurity:

– On premises disposal or holding of mortality – No equipment sharing between farms – No litter removal, introduction or removal of live poultry – No live poultry will be brought onto the farm or removed from the farm

• Procedures for surveillance sampling • Targeted matrix gene real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR). • Targeted active surveillance swab samples taken from dead birds from each house (flock) • Submitted to NAHLN laboratory • Sampling options: two pooled samples collected the morning of:

– The day prior to movement – The day of movement

• Pool sizes of 5 or 11 birds considered in the analysis

Pre-movement Isolation Period example

• Move broilers on their scheduled day after: • 2 negative RRT-PCR tests • 5 day PMIP

Day 4

Day 5

RRT-PCR Test

RRT-PCR Test

Move poultry

Day 3 Day 2 Day 1

Scheduled Slaughter

Date

Conclusion

• Working together, government and industry can create effective programs

• Business continuity in the face of HPAI is possible