IT'S TIME TO ACT: PRODUCE POULTRY VACCINES IN PACKAGING THAT WORKS FOR SMALL FARMERS
IT'S TIME TO ACT: PRODUCE POULTRY VACCINES IN PACKAGING THAT WORKS FOR SMALL FARMERS
Le problème
THIS IS A CRITICAL NEED OF SMALL POULTRY FARMERS THROUGHOUT FRANCE, EUROPE AND THE WORLD THAT IS NOT BEING MET. POULTRY VACCINES IN PACKAGING SUITABLE FOR SMALL FARMERS WILL ADDRESS SEVERAL CRITERIA CRITICAL AND CURRENT ISSUES:
- Support family agriculture for recreation, genetic selection, and local production
- Safeguard biodiversity of domestic animals
- Fight antibiotic resistance
- Strengthen and create thousands of local and sustainable jobs linked to traditional agriculture
Problem statement: The lack of suitably sized and affordable vaccines is a major hurdle for the development of local value chains that have the potential to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs in all countries. As the demand for heritage poultry breeds rises, small poultry breeders cannot satisfy this demand with disease-free poultry unless they have access to needed vaccines. Smaller, more customized sizing for smaller farms and flocks would drastically reduce the occurrence of wasted vaccines and would provide a needed and missing service to small farmers throughout France, Europe and the world.
Request: We- the elected representatives of France, European citizens, amateur poultry breeders, small poultry producers and family farmers supporting farmers markets- ask the Presidents, Prime Ministers, Agriculture Secretaries and members of the National and European parliaments to
1. Support the development of poultry vaccines in small packaging suitable for small farmers.
2. Support legislation that enforces by law or regulation stating that animal pharmaceutical companies operating in French or European territory produce vaccines for poultry in small packages and dosages at consistent, appropriate and responsible prices for small farmers and local producers.
Background: Small farmers are often amateur poultry breeders and are the cornerstone for preserving and growing heritage local poultry breeds. These poultry breeds represent a priceless national genetic heritage and the small farmers who raise them keep employment, economic growth and supply to Europe locally-owned, sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Like most domestic animals, poultry require vaccine attention to successfully control for most diseases. For small farmers, smaller doses of one, ten, fifty or one hundred vials is most appropriate and affordable. Unfortunately in both France and Europe, vaccines for poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks, etc.) exist only in units of 1.000, 10.000 or 20.000 vials. This packaging is usable only for farms of several hundred animals. The minimum available sizes are typically 1.000 to 2.000 dose vials and are sold to veterinarians in boxes containing 10 vials, which means 10.000 or 20.000 doses must be purchased at a time.
For the vast majority of small farmers who hold only 5, 10, or 100 birds, this excess of doses above what they need is unaffordable and leaves them with no other option to treat their birds. Any forced sale of large and unnecessary quantities ultimately generates large amounts of unproductive waste and unused vaccines. Since prices for these mega-packs of vaccines vials are astronomical in the annual budget of a small farm, causing most farmers to avoid vaccinating and protecting properly their selected heritage herds, even if the herds at risk are the result of a long, constant and patient work over several years.
Support family agriculture for recreation, genetic selection, and local production: In France, there are approximately 800.000 backyard farms and 8.000 amateur breeders who safeguard rare and endangered local poultry breeds. In Europe, this industry represents several million backyard farms and hundreds of thousands of amateur breeders that are part of the European Association of Poultry, Pigeon, Cage Bird, Rabbit and Cavy breeders (EE). While existing efficient vaccines can prevent most poultry diseases, their non-availability in smaller packaging for smaller farms is a problem that has existed for decades.
Currently, vaccines are sold in packaging tailored for large-sized farmers and industrial producers and affordable only for farms who raise birds by the thousands. There are no smaller sized and affordable vaccines are available for smaller producers. This problem is a direct result of profit-based policies driven by major animal pharmaceutical companies, who see services to smaller sized farms as unprofitable and not worth their technical support staff’s time.
Safeguard biodiversity of domestic animals: France’s 8000 amateur breeders produce an average of 50 to 400 chicks per year. They are passionate about poultry farming. Their action raises and saves dozens of ancient breeds that would have otherwise disappeared. While these farmers participate in poultry exhibitions and competitions where the health status of the animals is examined, these measures are unsatisfactory due to the lack of adapted poultry vaccines, which exist only in high dosages unsuitable for these smaller flocks of birds. Under improved veterinary control, the prescription of poultry vaccines in appropriate sizes for smaller birds and farms would help to successfully prevent occurrence of diseases that could otherwise be fatal.
An amateur poultry breeder owns only few to a few dozen animals that need to be vaccinated. Their status as amateur breeders means that they can’t keep more than 50 adult breeders. Even if these family farmers want to vaccinate their flock to protect their rare and precious animals, they are unable to due to the size at which vaccines doses are sold. These farmers are therefore under the constant threat of seeing years of selection and safeguarding wiped out by the onset of disease. Every day of the year, small poultry breeders carry the responsibility to preserve the birds and genetic capital that must be kept living. Unlike plant seeds, poultry semen and eggs cannot be stored frozen easily and affordably and must be reproduced live. Under these conditions and constraints, the range of possible therapies to protect poultry breeds and flocks should also be widened.
Fight antibiotic resistance: Proper vaccination helps reducing antibiotic resistance. Overuse of antibiotic treatments leads to antibiotic resistance, generating potential harmful consequences for animal and human health. To limit abuse or overuse of antibiotics, the use of vaccines is authorized for organic poultry farming. The best veterinarians and producers favor preventative treatments, combining the use of any necessary vaccination with natural products such as herbal, essential oils. Veterinarians still consider conventional antibiotic treatments as useful, but only as a last resort for critical cases such as the selection and conservation of heritage breeds when no preventative measures are available.
Today, only when working together and if geographically close to one another, can small livestock owners limit waste of vaccines doses sold in bulk since they must be used as soon as possible after opening. Even so, there is the risk of a rupture in the cold chain that could inactivate the vaccine potency. While movement of stakeholders from one farm to another may increase the health risk of disease transmission. Finally, farmers encounter difficulties in obtaining prescriptions from veterinarians since practitioners must abide by strict regulations that favor larger farms rather than customized needs of smaller farmers and breeders.
Strengthen and create thousands of local and sustainable jobs linked to traditional agriculture: The corporate policies and inconsistencies imposed in the name of short-term profit does not benefit small local farmers trying to uphold breed diversity. These policies benefit only large and industrial sized farms and the companies who want to sell to the biggest customer for the smallest amount of effort. The companies make no effort and have no interest in supporting the local farmers whose efforts keep farms, supplies and jobs local and maintain biodiversity of French and European heritage breeds. The sustainable development that some pharmaceutical companies pride themselves on is only empty rhetoric.
Summary
For these reasons, we ask the Presidents, Prime Ministers, Agriculture Secretaries and members of the National and European parliaments to support the development of poultry vaccines in small packaging suitable for small farmers. We ask also that our government representatives support legislation that enforces by law or regulation stating that animal pharmaceutical companies operating in France or European territory and around the world, produce vaccines for poultry in small packages and dosages at consistent, appropriate and responsible prices for small farmers and local producers.
___________________________________________________________________
What you can do
- Sign this petition
- Contact your local government representative to express your concern about this issue
- Learn more: For more information on the above critical issues for small farmers and producers in France, see la Fédération ProNaturA France: http://www.pronatura-france.fr/?view=article&id=140:vaccination-des-volailles&catid=65
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Le problème
THIS IS A CRITICAL NEED OF SMALL POULTRY FARMERS THROUGHOUT FRANCE, EUROPE AND THE WORLD THAT IS NOT BEING MET. POULTRY VACCINES IN PACKAGING SUITABLE FOR SMALL FARMERS WILL ADDRESS SEVERAL CRITERIA CRITICAL AND CURRENT ISSUES:
- Support family agriculture for recreation, genetic selection, and local production
- Safeguard biodiversity of domestic animals
- Fight antibiotic resistance
- Strengthen and create thousands of local and sustainable jobs linked to traditional agriculture
Problem statement: The lack of suitably sized and affordable vaccines is a major hurdle for the development of local value chains that have the potential to create thousands of direct and indirect jobs in all countries. As the demand for heritage poultry breeds rises, small poultry breeders cannot satisfy this demand with disease-free poultry unless they have access to needed vaccines. Smaller, more customized sizing for smaller farms and flocks would drastically reduce the occurrence of wasted vaccines and would provide a needed and missing service to small farmers throughout France, Europe and the world.
Request: We- the elected representatives of France, European citizens, amateur poultry breeders, small poultry producers and family farmers supporting farmers markets- ask the Presidents, Prime Ministers, Agriculture Secretaries and members of the National and European parliaments to
1. Support the development of poultry vaccines in small packaging suitable for small farmers.
2. Support legislation that enforces by law or regulation stating that animal pharmaceutical companies operating in French or European territory produce vaccines for poultry in small packages and dosages at consistent, appropriate and responsible prices for small farmers and local producers.
Background: Small farmers are often amateur poultry breeders and are the cornerstone for preserving and growing heritage local poultry breeds. These poultry breeds represent a priceless national genetic heritage and the small farmers who raise them keep employment, economic growth and supply to Europe locally-owned, sustainable and environmentally friendly.
Like most domestic animals, poultry require vaccine attention to successfully control for most diseases. For small farmers, smaller doses of one, ten, fifty or one hundred vials is most appropriate and affordable. Unfortunately in both France and Europe, vaccines for poultry (chickens, turkeys, ducks, etc.) exist only in units of 1.000, 10.000 or 20.000 vials. This packaging is usable only for farms of several hundred animals. The minimum available sizes are typically 1.000 to 2.000 dose vials and are sold to veterinarians in boxes containing 10 vials, which means 10.000 or 20.000 doses must be purchased at a time.
For the vast majority of small farmers who hold only 5, 10, or 100 birds, this excess of doses above what they need is unaffordable and leaves them with no other option to treat their birds. Any forced sale of large and unnecessary quantities ultimately generates large amounts of unproductive waste and unused vaccines. Since prices for these mega-packs of vaccines vials are astronomical in the annual budget of a small farm, causing most farmers to avoid vaccinating and protecting properly their selected heritage herds, even if the herds at risk are the result of a long, constant and patient work over several years.
Support family agriculture for recreation, genetic selection, and local production: In France, there are approximately 800.000 backyard farms and 8.000 amateur breeders who safeguard rare and endangered local poultry breeds. In Europe, this industry represents several million backyard farms and hundreds of thousands of amateur breeders that are part of the European Association of Poultry, Pigeon, Cage Bird, Rabbit and Cavy breeders (EE). While existing efficient vaccines can prevent most poultry diseases, their non-availability in smaller packaging for smaller farms is a problem that has existed for decades.
Currently, vaccines are sold in packaging tailored for large-sized farmers and industrial producers and affordable only for farms who raise birds by the thousands. There are no smaller sized and affordable vaccines are available for smaller producers. This problem is a direct result of profit-based policies driven by major animal pharmaceutical companies, who see services to smaller sized farms as unprofitable and not worth their technical support staff’s time.
Safeguard biodiversity of domestic animals: France’s 8000 amateur breeders produce an average of 50 to 400 chicks per year. They are passionate about poultry farming. Their action raises and saves dozens of ancient breeds that would have otherwise disappeared. While these farmers participate in poultry exhibitions and competitions where the health status of the animals is examined, these measures are unsatisfactory due to the lack of adapted poultry vaccines, which exist only in high dosages unsuitable for these smaller flocks of birds. Under improved veterinary control, the prescription of poultry vaccines in appropriate sizes for smaller birds and farms would help to successfully prevent occurrence of diseases that could otherwise be fatal.
An amateur poultry breeder owns only few to a few dozen animals that need to be vaccinated. Their status as amateur breeders means that they can’t keep more than 50 adult breeders. Even if these family farmers want to vaccinate their flock to protect their rare and precious animals, they are unable to due to the size at which vaccines doses are sold. These farmers are therefore under the constant threat of seeing years of selection and safeguarding wiped out by the onset of disease. Every day of the year, small poultry breeders carry the responsibility to preserve the birds and genetic capital that must be kept living. Unlike plant seeds, poultry semen and eggs cannot be stored frozen easily and affordably and must be reproduced live. Under these conditions and constraints, the range of possible therapies to protect poultry breeds and flocks should also be widened.
Fight antibiotic resistance: Proper vaccination helps reducing antibiotic resistance. Overuse of antibiotic treatments leads to antibiotic resistance, generating potential harmful consequences for animal and human health. To limit abuse or overuse of antibiotics, the use of vaccines is authorized for organic poultry farming. The best veterinarians and producers favor preventative treatments, combining the use of any necessary vaccination with natural products such as herbal, essential oils. Veterinarians still consider conventional antibiotic treatments as useful, but only as a last resort for critical cases such as the selection and conservation of heritage breeds when no preventative measures are available.
Today, only when working together and if geographically close to one another, can small livestock owners limit waste of vaccines doses sold in bulk since they must be used as soon as possible after opening. Even so, there is the risk of a rupture in the cold chain that could inactivate the vaccine potency. While movement of stakeholders from one farm to another may increase the health risk of disease transmission. Finally, farmers encounter difficulties in obtaining prescriptions from veterinarians since practitioners must abide by strict regulations that favor larger farms rather than customized needs of smaller farmers and breeders.
Strengthen and create thousands of local and sustainable jobs linked to traditional agriculture: The corporate policies and inconsistencies imposed in the name of short-term profit does not benefit small local farmers trying to uphold breed diversity. These policies benefit only large and industrial sized farms and the companies who want to sell to the biggest customer for the smallest amount of effort. The companies make no effort and have no interest in supporting the local farmers whose efforts keep farms, supplies and jobs local and maintain biodiversity of French and European heritage breeds. The sustainable development that some pharmaceutical companies pride themselves on is only empty rhetoric.
Summary
For these reasons, we ask the Presidents, Prime Ministers, Agriculture Secretaries and members of the National and European parliaments to support the development of poultry vaccines in small packaging suitable for small farmers. We ask also that our government representatives support legislation that enforces by law or regulation stating that animal pharmaceutical companies operating in France or European territory and around the world, produce vaccines for poultry in small packages and dosages at consistent, appropriate and responsible prices for small farmers and local producers.
___________________________________________________________________
What you can do
- Sign this petition
- Contact your local government representative to express your concern about this issue
- Learn more: For more information on the above critical issues for small farmers and producers in France, see la Fédération ProNaturA France: http://www.pronatura-france.fr/?view=article&id=140:vaccination-des-volailles&catid=65
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Les décisionnaires
Partager la pétition
Pétition lancée le 16 septembre 2021