March 10, 2021

Dutch university researching lasers to combat bird flu

The Wageningen Bioveterinary Research center (WBVR) in the Netherlands is testing lasers to deter wild ducks and geese from poultry farms, effectively preventing wild birds from infecting poultry livestock, Innovation Origins reported.

The tech, already used to deter wild birds from airports and landfills, was tested at a farm that has experienced bird flu outbreaks in the 2019-2020 winter period. The lasers were installed on a 6-foot pole atop the hens' laying area.

The farm and surrounding field were lit up during daylight (10 am to 5 pm) and only used in the farm during evening and night. The farm was monitored using eight cameras, and the study tested using the lasers for one month and unused for another month.

When the lasers were used, wild ducks were 99.7% prevented and visits from other birds between sunrise to 10 am decreased 96%.

Armin Elbers, who works as an epidemiologist at WBVR and is the project leader of this research, said the effectiveness of the lasers shows it can be used on more poultry farms in the future, but it will require a permit as stipulated in the Dutch Nature Conservancy Act.

Steinar Henskes, founder of the Bird Control Group firm which manufactured the AVIX Autonomic laser systems used in the research, said the study gave new insights for the products' use. He urged poultry farmers interested in using lasers to speak to the BIJ12 body before using the lasers at their farms. The body is in charge of wildlife damage prevention.

This study is part of the 1Health4Food project Fight Flu. Other parties involved in this research include the Dutch poultry industry, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LNV) and the Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals.

- Innovation Origins