A Federal and State Transport Plan for Movement of Turkeys from Turkey Farms in a High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Control Area to Processing Plants - A Fast Turkeys Plan

The objective is to obtain permission from federal and state regulatory authorities to transport turkeys that are a) ready for market from non-infected grow-out houses located in a Control (quarantined) Area to a processing plant and b) from the brooder house to the grow-out house within 48 hours after a Control Area has been established. In the previous quarters, we created the FAST Turkeys Committee, obtained biosecurity plans from industry and created a master biosecurity checklist. Between January and March we worked to determine the importance of each measure and to establish guidelines for "minimum biosecurity standards for turkey producers. We are currently in the process of discussing and modifying provisions of the FAST Turkeys Plan with members of the AVTP, federal regulatory authorities (Center for Epidemiology and Animal Health, National Surveillance Unit), state regulatory authorities, and faculty from the University of Minnesota. All have participated in multiple telephone conference calls, including a telephone conference call that originated from the AVTP meeting held in St. Louis in conjunction with the annual meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association.