Mexican government complicating eradication of avian influenza, poultry consultant says

Armando Mirande speaks about avian influenza in Mexico during the Poultry Production and Health Seminar.

Avian influenza in Mexico will continue to be a severe problem for the poultry industry because the government is corrupt and does not want to see it eradicated, said Armando Mirande, a U.S.-based poultry consultant. Mirande, speaking to a U.S. audience, cautioned that because of the situation in Mexico, the risk of avian influenza spreading into the U.S. is very concerning.
Mirande, whose international clientele reaches into Mexico and other parts of Latin America, spoke September 17 at the Poultry Production and Health Seminar, held in Memphis, Tenn. A separate video interview with Mirande is available on WATTAgNet.com.
According to Mirande, the corruption has shown up on multiple levels. He said the government is not being honest about the presence of avian influenza and other diseases.
One case he made was when there was a report of a low-pathogenic form of avian influenza, but 80 percent of the birds were dying and an emergency was declared eight days later. Another instance was when an official said the avian influenza virus was never out of control and only appeared in two places, but the official declined to give his name. "When have you ever seen an official giving good news but not wanting his name released," he asked, adding that he knew he was lying under the direction of his superiors.
Mirande also spoke of the reported path of avian influenza that has gone through the country in 2013. It was reported in Jalisco, Aguascalientes, Guanajato and Puebla, but not Querétaro, which is the largest broiler producer. That would be like avian influenza first being reported in North Carolina, then in South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi and Louisiana, but people in Alabama saying avian influenza was never there.
There has also been a "persistent denial of obvious existence of disease" when it comes to Newcastle Disease, Salmonella and early mortality syndrome, which appears in shrimp, Mirande said.
A steady flow of money coming from a certification program is also a sign of corruption. Producers can receive a certificate that declares a product comes from a clean floor and is free of disease, which accounts for about $6.9 million annually, Mirande said. However, none of that money that goes to the government goes back into the poultry industry, he added.
"They don't want AI to go away," Mirande said of the governments. "They need these certificates."