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At Pilgrim's Pride, we are committed to providing our customers with safe,
wholesome and nutritious poultry products while ensuring the health and well
being of our flocks, employees and contract growers.
It is important to understand that avian influenza is not a food safety
issue. Poultry products supplied domestically and internationally
by U.S. companies are safe for consumption. Furthermore, you can't get avian
influenza from properly handled and cooked food.
Avian influenza comes in many different types. The current strain causing
concern overseas is called H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). This
strain has never been found in the U.S., and it is not here now.
Pilgrim's Pride voluntarily tests all of our flocks for avian influenza. This
amounts to thousands of tests every week conducted under procedures approved by
the National Chicken Council. This voluntary testing program adds an additional
layer to the multiple barriers that are already in place to protect our flocks
and ensure the safety of our poultry products.
Under this enhanced testing program, any flock found to have H5 or H7 avian
influenza would be promptly and humanely euthanized on the farm and disposed of
in an environmentally acceptable manner. None of these birds would ever enter
the food chain. In addition, a "control zone" would be established around any
affected flock in which other flocks would be held and tested, with testing
repeated weekly. The continued testing would ensure that all other flocks are
clear of H5/H7 avian influenza before going to market.
Pilgrim's Pride has comprehensive biosecurity measures in place aimed at
protecting our flocks and preventing viruses from being inadvertently carried
onto the farms where birds are raised. These policies include routine cleaning
and disinfecting of equipment and vehicles, providing clean and protective
clothing for all personnel, permitting only essential personnel and vehicles to
enter the farm, limiting or avoiding visits to other bird farms, and sheltering
our flocks in contained housing structures to provide maximum protection from
inadvertent contact with wild or migratory birds.
According to scientific research, the ability to transfer the avian influenza
virus through human-to-human contact is extremely limited, if it exists at all.
Scientists believe that the H5N1 HPAI virus has not developed the ability to
pass easily from human to human.
In Asia, poultry production conditions are dramatically different than in the
U.S. In these countries, poultry live in close conjunction with swine, other
livestock and humans. Domestic poultry often roam freely through villages,
sometimes near areas that children use as playgrounds. Live birds are sold by
the millions in city markets where they can infect each other and possibly
infect humans. Poultry in these countries are fully exposed to the environment,
wild fowl, migratory birds, and to potential disease carriers. In addition,
there is little or no access to veterinary care.
By contrast, U.S. poultry farms are far more protective of birds and their
health. Chickens and turkeys are usually raised in enclosed buildings called
"grow-out houses" in which they have no contact with other animals and very
minimal contact with humans. And the health of U.S. poultry flocks today is
probably better than it has ever been, thanks to improvements in poultry
housing, selective breeding for disease resistance, protection from potential
disease carriers such as wild birds, and continuous health oversight by poultry
veterinarians.
The most important thing consumers can do is learn the facts about AI. The
following are links to frequently asked questions about avian influenza, along
with answers provided by the National Chicken Council and National Turkey
Federation.
Q&A
Consumer Information Sheet
Media Contact
Ray Atkinson
Director of Corporate Communications
540-896-0406
Consumer Hotline
800-321-1470
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