Could "Bird Flu" Destroy your Business?

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Bird Flu - Plan Now or Pay Later

Dateline 6th April 06
Bird Flu hits Scotland
 
A small community if Fyfe, Scotland is waiting to find out if the dead swan found in the harbour has died from the virulent H5N1 strain af Avian Flu, commonly called Bird Flu.
 
Restrictions will be placed around the commuity with a 3 km exclusion zone and a 10 km restricted zone if the tests prove positive.
 
To find out what other buisness are doing to protect themselves from the impact read the items below

Dateline 25th February 06:
France has more outbreaks of Bird flu
 
A French Turkey farm has been infected with the Bird Flu virus and the huge flock of over 1000 birds has now been destroyed, those which did not die from the virus have been culled in an attempt to halt the spread.
 
France has the biggest poultry industrial sector in the EU so this is seen as potentially the start of a major catastrophe for French Poultry Farmers if the disease cannot be stopped in its tracks.
 
The birds were housed inside, following the announcement from the French Government that all poultry farmers should bring their stock in doors; which is even more worrying for the industry. It shows that the strain H5N1 is particularly virrulent.

UK – Bird Flu worries Grow

Dateline 19th February 06
Following France's confirmation that it has had its first case of the Bird Flu Virus fears are growing in the UK that we could be hit by an outbreak. UK Ministers are admitting that the outbreak in France makes an outbreak in the UK as "Most Likely". In most cases the migrating population has been held to be responsible, but opinion is growing that culling wild life is not the answer, outbreaks in the UK and other countries are more likely to come from the free movement of poultry from farms and birds destined for the "pet" market.
 
The NFU's poultry spokesperson has expressed concern over the developments in France saying "I am more concerned than I was a week ago."
 
Dr Freda Scott Park who is President of the British Veterinary Association said "People should report any dead birds that they find and they should not touch them". "Leave them for the authorities".
 

A spokesperson for the British Free Range Egg Producers Association said that the thought that the Government had done as much as possible at this time and that the most important thing was to make sure it did not get into the nation's poultry flocks.
 

Bird Flu Costs Start to Bite - Italy Dumping on UK

While polititions dither about stopping movement of birds in the commercial sectors Italian Poultry farmers unable to sell their produce in Italy following the outbreak of Bird Flu there and restrictions on movement are dumping their produce in the UK while they can get a high price for the poultry as it is not wanted in Italy as people shy away from buying poultry.
 
These cheap imports will certainly hit our home Poultry Producers making it harder for them to make a profit.
 
A UK Poultry Farmer with a flock of over 70,000 birds has confirmed what the Italian's are doing and states that the Italian Government are actually providing subsidised transport to expert their product to the UK. The poultry price at the moment in the UK is around £1.05 per kg, however the dumping is expected to bring prices as low as 0.40p per kg which is below the cost of production. This will mean huge losses for the UK Industry.
 
So the cost of Bird Flu to business in already biting!
 
What will you do?

HSBC plannning now to reduce any impact from Bird Flu

Dateline 15th February 06
HSBC Planning for outbreak
HSBC is planning for an outbreak of Avian Flu (commonly known as bird flu) following its experiences with the SARS virus globally.
 
The bank estimates that some 50% of its workforce could be affected. Whilst the World Health Organisation estimates a 25% impact, the bank is taking into consideration the potential impact on its employees of restrictionos of travel imposed by governments to restrict virus transmission; also the fact that employees will be unable to attend work because they will have to care for sick reletives. Others may not wish to travel on crowded public transport for fear of catching the virus.
 
Some of HSBC's actions include
 
Cleaning their offices every hour
Use if Internet technologies to keep everyone informed and communicating via - teleconferences, skype with camera and video link/confernecing
 
Small businesses would do well to heed these messages"
 
David Birchall
 

Small Businesses and Disaster Planning

Dateline: 9th February 06:
David Birchall a partner in Artemis Media the company behind the Cumbria Business Portal was interviewed recently by jounalist Mark Tran of Guardian Unlimited, the online version of the Guardian Newspaper with refernce to Business Continuity and Disaster Planning in the wake of threats to European economies from Avian Flu, commonly called "Bird Flu".
 
David, was referred into Guardian Unlimited by the Federation of Small Businessses' London Office following an enquiry to them for a small business owner manager who has taken action in planning for such a disaster as "Bird Flu".
 
David is an Advisor and Spokesperson to the Federation of Small Businesses Policy Unit in the North West Region on Education, Training & Skills and Artemis Media was known to the FSB as a small business involved in Strategic and Marketing Planning and who deliver training and consultancy in this field.
 
"The Interview with Mark Tran was very interesting and quite probing, not to mention useful from the point of view of finding out what others thought or were considering" said Birchall.
 

 
David Birchall a partner in Artemis Media the company behind the Cumbria Business Portal was interviewed recently by jounalist Mark Tran of Guardian Unlimited, the online version of the Guardian Newspaper.....To read David's comments and the article click on this link and you will be taken to the appropriate page

Dateline 15th February 06:
Bird Flu reaches North Germany and Austria
 
The German government had declared that birds have been found with what is suspected to be Avian Flu. (Bird Flu) The Austrian Government has announced that two swans have been found and are suspected as having the virus - samples have been sent to the UK to see if it is the dreaded H5N1 strain. The swans were migrating birds found late yesterday and there is some cause for conern.

Dateline 12th February 06:
 
Bird Flu reaches Europe
 
Migratory swans have been found to have the Bird Flu virus in Greece, Bulgaria and Italy. The birds which were caught in traps have tested positive for the H5N1 Avian Flu Virus commonly called Bird Flu.
 
At the UN its Food and Agriculture Organisation warned that bird flu may have already arrived in countries which neighbour Turkey. Outbreaks are believed to have hit 26 of Turkey's 81 provinces.
 
The agency reported that it is working with ornithologists at more than 20 sites in southern Europe where bird migration has started.
 
Italy's infected swans are thought to have been returning to Europe from Russia. Traps for wild birds are being set and farmers are being urged to be vigilant. In Greece, where the infected birds were found, the area has been sealed off and restrictions have been applied on the movement of commercial poultry; hunting has also been banned by the Greek government for at least the next three weeks.
 
Click on this link to read the latest on the Bird Flu story from the BBC - link opens in a new window: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4704046.stm

Bird Flu reaches Africa
 
Confirming some of the worst fears of public health experts around the globe, the deadly virus has broken out in Nigeria - where at least 40,000 poultry have died.
 
Scientists fear that the concentration of human poverty and disease in Africa could combine with millions of highly susceptible backyard poultry to produce any number of human infections, and and of course more seriously create the potentially for a human pandemic virus.
 
But the location of Africa's first reported outbreak should not come as a surprise when one considers the migration birds and the movement/transportation of "livestock" in such poor animal husbandry conditions and human housing which are sadly the norm.
 
Click on this link for their full Bird Flu story in NewScientist.com, link opens in a new window: http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn8695