Practice Backyard Biosecurity

A Campaign Not Entirely for the Birds

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/birdbiosecurity

David Ehrlich, President, The Track Group, Inc.

Bird flu is the new threat to public health. But four years ago, Western state officials were worried about another type of avian-borne problem, exotic Newcastle disease.

In October 2002, California officials confirmed an outbreak of END. Soon, their counterparts in Arizona, Nevada, and Texas did the same. The outbreak was the largest related to animal disease in the United States in 30 years, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Eradicating the disease took 10 months, cost $180 million, and resulted in the deaths of four million birds.

Although most of the birds came from commercial operations, many came from backyard flocks and bird enthusiasts. That fact poses potential problems if another outbreak of END, let alone bird flu, occurs. After all, birds are the third most popular pet in the country, behind cats and dogs but ahead of fish, hamsters, and reptiles. What’s more, the federal government does not regulate backyard poultry owners.

By Means Fair and Fowl

In response to the outbreak, Congress in 2003 began a $9 million program with the Agriculture Department. Included was $4 million for outreach.

USDA officials decided that their target audience was people who own backyard poultry, whether one chicken or 500. That includes pet bird owners and bird fanciers. “We’re not so interested in Tyson’s, rather, we are interested in the people who fall outside the normal channels,” Madelaine Fletcher, a public affairs specialist with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the USDA, said.

USDA authorities conducted a couple of focus groups, and what they found was that bird owners improperly disposed of diseased fowl. “They just threw them in the garbage,” Fletcher said.

As a result, USDA officials decided to undertake a vast public education campaign about the dangers of diseased birds. It would be called Biosecurity for the Birds. “Your birds can become sick or die from exposure to just a few unseen bacteria, viruses, or parasites,” campaign literature declared. “In a single day, these germs can multiply and infect all your birds.” It added that getting farmers and ranchers to recognize that “a small tub, a gallon of bleach or disinfectant, and a brush will go a long way toward protecting your birds from ‘outside’ disease.”

To reach their audience, USDA authorities devised several different strategies.

Perhaps most inventively, they bought space at the back of chicken feed bags at WalMart, Fletcher said. The bags contain an extended description of the problem, feature the bird logo, and added the toll free number to report sick birds.

USDA officials also tried to give the campaign wide appeal. They devised a simple slogan: “Look for signs. Report sick birds. Practice backyard biosecurity.” And they drew up colorful icons—black, white, and orange picture of chickens in various poses.

In addition, they bought advertising in rural cooperative newspapers; came up with information displays via posters, cards, fact sheets, photos, two-page Q&A sheets, and DVD’s; and drew up brochures in English and Spanish.

What’s more, USDA authorities partnered with an array of public and private groups. Among those are state departments of agriculture, private veterinarians, and PetSmart charities.

Expecting to Fly

Gauging the success of the campaign has not been easy. The USDA sent out 106,000 cards asking people if they had changed their behavior and received back 6,000. Fletcher expressed a measure of satisfaction with the results, but acknowledged that federal officials wish to know more. She said, “It takes heaven and earth to make lots of people change.”

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