May 10, 2004

New Poultry Rules To Take Effect Next Month
 

Agriculture officials in Delaware held a public hearing regarding new poultry regulations on Friday. The rules are scheduled to take effect next month, designed to protect the state's $543 million industry from avian flu.

The regulations will affect mostly independent growers, such as individuals with backyard flocks, show-bird owners, and those who sell to live-bird markets. The regulations will require all poultry growers to register with the state, and those who do not follow proper sanitation procedures will be penalized.

The hearing in Dover was sparsely attended, with no written or oral comments on the regulations being presented.

"I didn't expect to see many people here," said Scott Beebe, who raises 25 to 60 show birds at his Marydel home. "I think anybody who wouldn't want to abide by this is foolish."

State officials came up with the regulations, considered the most comprehensive in the nation, following the first cases of avian flu found on two Delaware farms in February. The Delmarva Poultry Industry Inc., a trade group representing growers and poultry-processing companies, helped draft the regulations. Bill Satterfield, executive director of the group, could not be reached for comment Friday.

The regulations take effect on June 10, when they will be published in the Delaware Register of Regulations. Individuals with more than five backyard birds are expected to begin registering then, though there is no set deadline to do so, said Dr. H. Wesley Towers, state veterinarian.

Growers who do not follow the regulations are subject to fines ranging from $100 to $5,000 per violation, following an administrative hearing. Appeals would be addressed to the Superior Court.

"We are dealing with a multibillion-dollar industry here," said Michael Scuse, state secretary of agriculture. "We need to protect it."