Item it just a financial disaster, for some people it takes away beloved pets
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Ideally, I do not believe there should be any compensation at all. It is a business with real risks. However, it is important that the farmers cooperate and operate within the system etc. Not to mention that it is our food supply, and supporting it is in all of our best interest.
There is not a logical or rational reason to compensate backyard flock owners. Taxpayers should not be obligated to support hobbies.
The level of compensation is minimal. It is a substantial loss for the farmer, and unfortunate. Especially that this is likely to be around for a while. A yearly risk, up until a vaccine is an option. Possibly they will have one ready before next spring. That is until the next strain comes through which is inevitable. It is only time that separates us from the next strain.
We have the same compensation here. One must apply for the compensation within 48 hours of the event and must have a witness..... There's a lot of time and money invested, and the flock does generate some revenue, if only on a smaller scale. They also provide a source of food.
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Counties here will compensate a poultry owner if their birds are killed by stray dogs. ...
We have the same compensation here. One must apply for the compensation within 48 hours of the event and must have a witness.
The county maintains a fund supported by dog licenses. It is a state statute that all counties have to adhere to.
I know I have a major investment in my birds and have lost some to dogs. I didn't have to go the county route because the owner reimbursed me on both occasions.
A quick search yielded a number of insurance companies that provide poultry insurance. Coverage included every thing from loss of incubating eggs due to power outages to loss of birds from disease (including avian flu) and loss due to a vetarinarian's order of euthanasia. It looks like coverage is out there. Does anyone know if it is cost prohibitive? Is it available for medium to small scale businesses?
I am a commercial farmer. Small farm, some would say "hobby farm", but I file my Schedule F like other commercial farmers. There is a vaccine available in other parts of the world, but the US has not accepted it. It's true that it will not prevent illness. It's true that even some vaccinated birds may die. But the vaccine is designed to help build immunity in the birds and help them avoid a serious case of avian influenza.
Until the USDA allows us, as farmers, to have an option to try to protect our flocks, then it is unreasonable to say that we must assume all risk. Denying us risk mitigation means, then mandating the destruction of our livestock and income, is unreasonable. The argument is made that the destruction of the flocks is "for the public health". Yet the USDA asserts that the strain of HPAI currently causing the destruction is not a human pathogen in its present form.
For each of the young organic laying hens in my flock, my income is $100/yr, or $17500. My investment in that bird up to point of lay is about $15. So if I lose my flock of 175 layers, my out of pocket loss is $2625 but my loss of income for the amount of time it would take to leave fallow time, acquire chicks, raise them to point of lay is $8750. Instead of a gross income of $17500 for stock acquired last year to lay this year, I would be faced with minimal income and significant costs.
My turkey outlook is also bleak. 70 organic heritage turkeys would bring me an average of $90 each at market, or $6300. The cost to acquire and raise those turkeys for 28 weeks and get them processed is approximately $4500. I've already invested over $800 this year in starting my stock. If I lose my heritage poults, it's too late to start new ones for the Thanksgiving market, so instead of a break-even best case, I would be out completely. And if I lose my breeders, I will lose three years of selective breeding.