An Assessment of the Risk Associated with the Movement Broilers to Market Into, Within, and Out of a Control Area During a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak in the United States

Abstract

In the event of a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in the United States, poultry industry, local, State, and Federal authorities will implement a foreign animal disease emergency response. In these circumstances, permit requests to move poultry and poultry products must be supported by risk assessments which demonstrate that the risk of HPAI spread associated with the movement is acceptable. Performing the risk assessments prior to an HPAI outbreak can enhance emergency response and facilitate timely movement permitting decisions during an outbreak. This document assesses the risk that the movement of market-age broilers to processing (i.e., broilers to market), during an HPAI outbreak, from a premises located within the Control Area, will result in HPAI virus spread to a virus-free poultry premises. This risk assessment is a joint effort of the Secure Broiler Supply (SBS) Working Group, which is made up of representatives from the broiler industry, academia, State Animal Health Officials (SAHOs), and the United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA:APHIS), to support permits for the terminal movement of broilers to processing during an HPAI outbreak. This assessment is applicable to intensively raised commercial or contract grow-out broiler premises that do not have other poultry on the premises and practice an all-in, all-out single-age growing system. These broiler facilities must participate in the USDA APHIS National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) and follow the SBS Plan in the event of an HPAI outbreak. The SBS Plan contains science-based outbreak measures developed by the SBS working group to mitigate the risk of HPAI spread associated with the terminal movement of live birds to market.