How could turkeys held in sealed sheds & kept in total isolation be the only UK birds to catch Avian Flu?
Image by mystuart
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkey_bird
(My first effort at FlickrToys’ "poster" feature–fun!)
These critters are heritage breed Narragansetts, raised by my neighbors, Marvin & Brenda Dillingham and their family. For more about Narragansetts, see:
www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Turkeys/BRKJiylda.html
Question by Cracker: How could turkeys held in sealed sheds & kept in total isolation be the only UK birds to catch Avian Flu?
How can turkeys held in a sealed farm have caught H5N1? According to experts, it’s a total mystery how the virus reached the turkeys
There is no bird migration route that would explain the disease coming to England from known infected nations (mostly Asia)
It’s not the time of year that birds would migrate to Britain anyway.
No other H5N1 outbreaks have been reported, which further rules out migrating wild birds.
The turkeys originated in a hatchery and have never been off-site in their life or contacted wild birds.
The turkey shed, like most buildings in which turkeys are raised, is fully sealed.
So how did the turkeys catch H5N1? Either Bernard Matthews has an enemy that uses poison, or it’s a mystery.
witheringtonkeith – they have filtered air so it can’t have just got it that way. The sheds are just a sealed factory and the birds are just processed from birth until it’s time for the chop.
pagreen1966 – I’m not raising a conspiracy theory at all. Asking a question that has no official answer isn’t pushing a conspiracy is it?
My final comment suggesting poison is clearly sarcasm and not serious.
So chill out and don’t be so grumpy… Be thankful that you’re not a Bernard Matthews turkey
Feel free to answer in the comment section below
8 Responses to How could turkeys held in sealed sheds & kept in total isolation be the only UK birds to catch Avian Flu?
Leave a Reply
if the shed was sealed how would they breath?
bird flu is air born ok
may be one bird had it all ready?
witheringtonkeith
February 18, 2012 at 5:23 pm
perhaps it evolved in the shed,like where and how did the original avian bird flu come from?
frank m
February 18, 2012 at 5:40 pm
Thank-you for posing that question because I wondered the exact same thing myself. Intensively reared turkeys never see the light of day so how has this disease got into the flock? It will be interesting to see what the officials have to say!
T. T.
February 18, 2012 at 6:09 pm
Its blatantly obvious how it happened, some accountant type at BM realised that they can get turkeys 5p cheaper by importing them from some shithole in Eastern Europe, so before you can say ‘infected with birdflu – this way sir’ theres container loads of them in a shed over here from some place that doesn’t even know what food standards are let alone practise them.
Never underestimate a companies willingness to overlook a nations health to turn a bigger profit.
thecoldvoiceofreason
February 18, 2012 at 6:17 pm
Kind of made me wonder too,???. Well we’ve had mad cow disease, foot and mouth,and now this.???.Well there goes another British Buisness or what?Wonder what’s next?
"just laffin"
February 18, 2012 at 6:39 pm
Any environment where bird-feed litters the ground attracts sparrows. These are the birds that are most often seen inside buildings, they get everywhere.
Transmission need not be by direct contact, any materials brought into the building could be infected. Just like you catching a cold from a door-handle.
Pigs are a confirmed vector for H5N1, and pig material brought into the building in feed or suchlike could have transmitted the virus.
Water supplies to the farm could have been infected from the local bird-pond.
This disease is not fully understood, there may be anew way to transmit.
Only 165 people have died right?
What you probably didn’t know was that 1/2 of those infected died. Even with treatment. Some died with direct contact only of other infected persons.
You have the most virulent strain.
Even third world countries cull all birds within a kilometre of the outbreak, and halt the sale of poultry throughout the country.
The press blows things out of proportion?
Well this time they are spoon-feeding you sedatives.
Many outbreaks have been contained worldwide, some at great cost. But we are still fearing the 1 (just one) that isn’t.
Simon D
February 18, 2012 at 7:16 pm
They caught it from wild birds migrating.
It may not be the correct time of year for birds to migrate but then again Florida had a very bad tornado last week and it isn’t even the tornado season down there.
The reason for both anomalies is the same: global warming. Its throwing our seasons into chaos.
It may be a sealed farm but even in these conditions birds will be able to get in. Doors have to be opened at some time! Only last April I saw horrific picture in the national newspapers of turkeys being hit by baseball bats by employees of Bernard Matthews. I imagine this was not company policy. If the employees of this factory farm are prepared to break one company rule is it not possible that they will be prepared to break other company rules, such as the need to keep the birds isolated in their intensive factory farm environment?
Instead of trying to raise some kind of conspiracy theory over this, should you not be more concerned that Bernard Matthews did not bother to tell the authorities of the outbreak for over 48 hours!
Now, possibly due to gross incompetence by Bernard Matthews employees, we have the unedifying spectacle of this farm being turned into an Auschwitz for Turkeys with the wholesale gassing of these birds currently taking place.
pagreen1966
February 18, 2012 at 7:52 pm
Don’t know but will not be eating or buying turkey is anything safe
sammy
February 18, 2012 at 8:20 pm