10m chickens to be culled<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Around 10 million chickens will be culled to stop the spread of
\nbird flu in the country, which is predicted will completely
\nsubside in six months.<\/p>\n
Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Jusuf Kalla said on
\nThursday the mass slaughter of chickens would be completed in
\nthree months, but the compensation would only be distributed as
\nsoon as the country is declared free from the outbreak.<\/p>\n
\"We have calculated at least 10 million chickens will be
\nculled. It is expected everything will be under control in six
\nmonths,\" Kalla said before attending a Cabinet meeting.<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri ordered a selective cull last
\nweek, bowing to the recommendation of the World Health
\nOrganization (WHO). Indonesia had previously insisted on
\nvaccination as a preventive measure for the spread of the virus.<\/p>\n
In an about face, world health experts on Thursday recommended
\nthat a poultry vaccination campaign be launched to create buffer
\nzones to control the spread of the bird flu epidemic, Reuters
\nreported.<\/p>\n
\"Vaccinations can be used to create a buffer zone around an
\ninfected province or between an affected country and one that is
\nnot,\" top UN food agency official Louise Fresco told a news
\nconference after two days of urgent talks with about 40 animal
\nand human health experts in Rome.<\/p>\n
Scientists will hold an emergency regional meeting in Thailand
\nat the end of this month to coordinate implementation of the
\nrecommendations, according to the Food and Agriculture
\nOrganization (FAO), which hosted the Rome talks.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government has confirmed that the H5NI virus,
\nwhich has claimed 17 lives in Thailand and Vietnam, is the one
\nthat killed millions of chickens here.<\/p>\n
Kalla said the farmers were required to burn and then bury the
\ninfected chickens to ensure that the flu would not spread
\nfurther.<\/p>\n
\"It is selective, but in the case where in one cage some are
\nsick and some not, the farmers are required to slaughter them
\nall,\" the minister said.<\/p>\n
The first massive cull will be conducted in Tabanan regency of
\nBali, one of the worst infected areas, on Friday, to be witnessed
\nby Bali Governor I Made Dewa Beratha.<\/p>\n
A total of 51 regencies in 10 provinces have been affected by
\nthe outbreak.<\/p>\n
As for compensation, the government will replace each chicken
\nwith a newly hatched chick and provide animal feed for the
\nfarmers.<\/p>\n
\"Such compensation may not offset the loss suffered by the
\nfarmers, but we all should share the burden,\" Kalla said.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Health and Ministry of Agriculture had taken
\nblood samples of poultry farm workers in the 10 infected
\nprovinces in the country, but none of them tested positive.<\/p>\n
Kalla said, however, the government had asked farmers to take
\nbio-security precautionary steps to anticipate possible transfer
\nof the disease to humans.<\/p>\n
Farmers and their workers are required to wear gloves and wash
\ntheir hands carefully with disinfectant after handling chickens
\nor chicken cages. They are also required to limit the number of
\npeople who feed and care for the chickens and list their names.<\/p>\n
\"We will also continue providing vaccine for the chickens, and
\nwe hope to finish the job in three months,\" the minister added.<\/p>\n
The government has allocated some Rp 212 billion
\n(US$23.8million) to deal with the outbreak, Rp 50 billion of the
\nfund will be spent on compensation, vaccine and animal feed for
\nfarmers.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture issued an import ban on
\npoultry products from 10 infected countries, effective as of
\nThursday.<\/p>\n
Chief of the agriculture ministry quarantine agency Budi
\nTriakoso said the ban would affect products from Japan, South
\nKorea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, Laos, Taiwan, Thailand,
\nPakistan and Cambodia.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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