BIRD FLU PRECAUTIONS

We must all do our bit to help stop the spread

For the past two years it has been Covid that has had its impact on shooting and trialling: this season it’s an equally serious virus that also has its origins in Asia: avian influenza. As I write this, I have yet to hear of shoots or trials being cancelled because of bird flu, but I have just received a press release from the Kennel Club (KC) detailing the precautions that have to be taken by handlers planning to run their dogs in trials.

Maintaining biosecurity is vital and, according to the KC, this means scrupulous cleaning of boots, cars, equipment and even dogs must be undertaken before and after attending any trial. This presumably means that if you turn up at a trial in your unwashed pick-up truck you might be refused entry, while your wellies should be equally clean and mud-free. I’m not quite sure how you can be scrupulous in your dog cleaning, and who is going to check, but it’s an interesting challenge.

Power-hosing your car might be quite straightforward, unless you live in one of those areas where there’s still a hosepipe ban, but hosing off your dog before and after a trial is more difficult. According to the KC, “if your dog has been out, you should wash it thoroughly with shampoo, paying particular attention to the paws”. It is debatable as to whether it will do any good, but bird flu is an extremely serious threat to not only our sport but also our countryside, so it beholds us to do our best to try to stop its spread.

Other guidelines from the KC are to try to leave a 96-hour gap between attending trials, especially if you have attended a ground with confirmed avian influenza, and not to bring any game with you in vehicles or gamebags. Nor should you feed uncooked shot or culled birds to dogs, or allow them to eat dead wild birds. Though I am an advocate of feeding dogs raw food, I’ve always drawn the line at game, as the last thing you want to do is to encourage your dog to think that what it’s retrieving could be its next dinner.

Competitors are now expected to clean their cars before attending trials