Turkish Ministry of Agriculture is working to fight against the bird flu

In response to the threat paused by the bird flu, The Ministry of Agriculture is undertaking activities including the improvement of laboratory diagnostic facilities, the identification of reference labs, the undertaking of preparations regarding typing and pathogicity testing, AI-based scanning of materials suspected of respiratory system diseases, and conducting informative and awareness raising activities targeting the poultry industry, universities and other interested parties.

In an industry meeting organized by the Ministry on December 16, 2004, attention was drawn to the necessity of making legal arrangements to include Bird Flu within the list of diseases that the losses or cullings has to be compansated and in preparation for the possibility of different variants of the disease appearing in neighboring countries. A draft for an Emergency Action Plan was prepared and submitted to the relevant European Union (EU) offices. The draft Plan was revised on the basis of the response provided by the EU, and subsequently its implementation was initiated.

Based on the Law on Animal Health And Surveillance, id. 3285, the Ministry of Agriculture has issued a Regulation for Preventative Measures against the Bird Flu (Avian Influenza) Disease. The Regulation, prepared entirely on the basis of EU standards, covers all aspects of dealing with the possible occurence of the disease, ranging for its diagnosis, to the procedures for sending samples, to all aspects of prevention and control.

According to the said Regulation;
In the event of a suspected appearance of the bird flu in poultry farms the authorities that either received the denunciation or detecting the bird flu disease required to immediately report the provincial directorate or district directorate of the Ministry according to the Law on Animal Health And Surveillance id. 3285. Private veterinary doctors or salaried vets within private enterprises are also held responsible for informing the Ministry.

The official veterinary doctor assigned by the government to the relevant area is responsible for undertaking the necessary on-site investigations and preparing a disease occurence report. The Commission for Animal Health Inspection is in turn responsible for publicly declaring the occurence of the disease.
In declaring the site of disease occurence, an area of 3km. radius around the relevant enterprise is identified as the area of control, and an area of minimum 10km. radius (including the above 3km.) is identified as the area of quarantine. It is required to post cautionary signs to the entry and exit spots for the areas in question. During the collective extermination of the animals, it is required to keep the doors to the enterprise’s buildings as well as to the coops closed in order to prevent the spreading of the virus.

Quarantine measures against the Bird Flu are removed 21 days after the last extermination, and after the necessary periodic disinfections.

While importing from countries free of the Bird Flu, Veterinary Offices are required to request international animal health certificates for domestic poultry animals.

According to the regulations, poultry animals:
Should be entirely free of all clinical indications of Bird Flu;
Should have been kept within the country free of the Bird Flu since they have been hatched or the last 21 days; and Should be free of vaccinations against the bird flu.

While importing from countries where infected by the Bird Flu, Veterinary Offices are required to request international animal health certificates for poultry animals.
According to the regulations, the said poultry animals:

Should be entirely free of all indictations of Bird Flu on the day of delivery;
Should be arriving from an enterprise that is regularly inspected by veterinary authorities;
Should be arriving from an enterprise free of the Bird Flu, and should not be kept in an infected area;

Should have been kept within a quarantine site since they have been hatched or the last 21 days before being shipped;
Should be tested for Bird Flu and the result of the test should be negative; and
Should be free of vaccinations against the bird flu.