October 27, 2008

Avian Influenza in India

Humane Society International

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza, or "bird flu," is repeatedly occurring in Indian poultry. Leading scientists point to the industrialization of the global poultry industry to explain the unprecedented recent emergence and spread of numerous strains of highly pathogenic avian influenza, including the H5N1 strain.

In the Indian poultry industry, it is common to have tens of thousands of birds crowded into a single shed. Hens in egg production factories are packed together in wire battery cages without enough space to walk or even fully spread their wings. The cages are stacked several tiers high and extend down long rows. India is the fourth largest egg producing country in the world, and approximately 80 percent of eggs produced in India come from hens crowded together in these battery cages.

The high stocking density, stress, unhygienic conditions, and breeding practices typical of such industrial poultry production systems have been shown to facilitate the development of new strains of avian influenza.