Page 16 - National Poultry Newspaper

Biosecurity for the backyard chook
WITH recent media in- terest in keeping back- yard poultry, Austral- ian Eggs reminds con- sumers to be aware of the animal and human health risks associated, and encourage biosecu- rity education for all.
the attraction to produc- ing nutritious and deli- cious eggs,” Mr McMon- nies said.
how accessible they are to wild animals.
• Ensure wild birds can- not access the chickens’ feed or water, as diseases can be easily transmitted to poultry by contamina- tion of feed or water
• Any kitchen scraps fed to chickens must be meat and animal free, as when spoiled, these may carry dangerous bacteria
Australian Eggs manag- ing director Rowan Mc- Monnies said backyard poultry keeping presents risks to animal and hu- man health, and backyard owners need to under- stand the responsibilities.
“Diseases spread quick- ly and widely and the potential transfer from backyard to commercial flocks can put food secu- rity for the broader com- munity at risk.
Australian Eggs has is- sued a list of 10 things backyard poultry owners should practice to reduce biosecurity risks:
• Use safe water sources such as town water, good quality bore water or san- itised surface water for chickens to drink
• If a chicken is show- ing signs of sickness, isolate the sick animal from others and seek vet- erinary advice in a timely manner
“Anecdotally, there has been an increase in the number of people keep- ing backyard hens, and egg farmers understand
• Keep chickens away from ponds and rivers as water birds are known carriers of avian influ- enza
“People need to realise that once you’re a sub- urban ‘egg farmer’, there are important biosecurity risks to protect against.
“Australian Eggs spends a lot of time com- municating these dangers to egg farmers but there is clearly a role in getting information out to back- yard owners as well.”
• Keep other animals such as domestic geese or turkeys and even cats and dogs well away as they can bring disease to chickens
• Check hens regularly for anything unusual such as coughing, diar- rhoea or swollen eyes
“It’s understandable that people think back- yard farming is clean and natural, but these setups can pose signifi- cant problems because of
• Always wash hands after handling chickens or eggs
• Provide a secure ro- dent-proof enclosure for poultry, as rats and mice are known carriers of dis- ease
• Call Animal Health Australia’s 24-hour emer- gency animal disease watch hotline on 1800 675 888 if there are unu- sual symptoms or signs of serious disease.
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Ingham’s Murarrie facility received platinum certification, the highest honour in water stewardship.
Ingham’s awarded platinum certification
Page 16 – National Poultry Newspaper, April 2021
Ingham’s primary pro- cessing site in Somer- ville, Victoria was the
www.poultrynews.com.au
INGHAM’S Murar- rie facility received the highest honour in wa- ter stewardship through the International Water Stewardship Standard.
first in the world to achieve platinum certi- fication in 2018.
million litres of water and provide a fantas- tic habitat for the local wildlife.”
AWS standard certifi- cation, for their plant at Bulimba Creek Mu- rarrie in Queensland, Australia,” Ms McLeod said.
The Alliance for Wa- ter Stewardship awarded platinum certification to Ingham’s primary pro- cessing plant in Murar- rie in Queensland.
The Murarrie team, led by operations manager David Gent, achieved platinum certification by identifying its water impacts, challenges and sphere of influence in the catchment where it operates.
“The volume of the on-site wastewater treatment plant’s sludge has reduced and the site’s water consump- tion has reduced by one-third over the past three years.
“Ingham’s continues to clearly demonstrate the highest level of commit- ment to water steward- ship with the Murarrie site being part of the group of Ingham’s AWS standard certified sites at Somerville in Vic- toria, Bolivar in South Australia, and Te Aroha in New Zealand.
The AWS standard certification drives, recognises and rewards good water steward- ship performance of sites that demonstrate responsible and sustain- able water management.
By doing this, the site engages with key stake- holders and understands the water-related risks and opportunities that are available.
“In addition, the site has reduced its trade waste to almost zero and has more projects planned to further re- duce its water impact.
Worldwide, there are currently 128 AWS–cer- tified sites and 21 have achieved platinum cer- tification.
Murarrie’s health, safety and environment manager Brett Porter shared these initiatives with local community groups and said, “We’ve rejuvenated six of the site’s ponds that hold 60
AWS’ Asia-Pacific chief executive of- ficer Megan McLeod congratulated the Mu- rarrie team’s platinum achievement.
We are proud of this remarkable achievement by the Murarrie team and thank David Gent and Brett Porter for leading the water stew- ardship program that is truly world-class.
Of those, Ingham’s has four sites certified to the AWS standard, with two achieving platinum cer- tification.
“On behalf of AWS Asia-Pacific, I would like to congratulate the Ingham’s team on achieving platinum sta- tus, the highest level of
Several projects have been completed over the past 12 months as part of the site’s water stew- ardship plan, with great benefits for nourishing the planet.
rec-
“I’m proud of the good we are doing for the planet.”
“Ingham’s is ognised as the sector leader in sustainability and water stewardship, and is a key member of the Alliance for Water Stewardship.”