Asian poultry industry faces wrenching change from bird flu<\/p>\n
Richard Ingham, Agence France-Presse\/Geneva<\/p>\n
The Asian poultry industry, which has boomed in the past decade
\nto meet the needs of a fast-growing, wealthier population, faces
\ndramatic change as a result of avian influenza, a study presented
\nhere on Tuesday said.<\/p>\n
The small family farms and picturesque backyards that are the
\nsupply mainstay of ducks, geese and chickens for China and
\nSoutheast Asia will be squeezed -- and many may be eliminated --
\nby tougher hygiene and safety regulations against bird flu, it
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
\"One consequence of restructuring will be that there are fewer
\nsmall commercial producers and, eventually, fewer backyard
\nproducers,\" the study, written by economists at the UN's Food and
\nAgricultural Organization (FAO), said.<\/p>\n
It was issued at a three-day international conference in
\nGeneva on how to halt the spread of H5N1 bird flu virus, a
\npathogen that scientists fear could mutate into a form that could
\nbe lethal and highly contagious for humans.<\/p>\n
\"The future poultry sectors in East and Southeast Asia will
\ncontain more concentrated markets, with fewer, larger producers,\"
\nthe study said.<\/p>\n
It noted that a number of countries, led by Malaysia, China
\nand Vietnam, were already taking or contemplating steps to set up
\n\"poultry production zones\" which would be the sole areas where
\nraising fowl would be authorized.<\/p>\n
Transport and veterinary infrastructure would be concentrated
\nin these areas so that production and slaughtering would be more
\nsafer, more cost-efficient and more easily monitored.<\/p>\n
\"The cost of these developments, however, will include loss of
\nlivelihoods for small-scale producers who are unable to meet the
\nconditions needed to meet the conditions needed to participate,\"
\nthe experts warned.<\/p>\n
They gave the example of the cost for Vietnamese farmers if
\nthey were required to set up a bamboo night shed to protect their
\nbirds from mixing with migrating birds, which are the natural
\nreservoir of the H5N1 virus.<\/p>\n
The shed might cost US$50 to $75, and adding netting and
\nfencing would cost a similar amount. Such bills, in a country
\nwhere the per-capita income is $2 a day or less, mean the
\nsmallest producers could no longer afford to raise poultry for
\nsale.<\/p>\n
Another big area of change is the live animal market, a very
\ncommon feature of Asian life, where the preference is for very
\nfresh meat rather than processed food.<\/p>\n
Countries might take the lead from Hong Kong, which imposed
\nstringent conditions on managing live fowl and slaughtering them
\nin these markets after an outbreak of H5N1 on its territory in
\n1997.<\/p>\n
Around 150 million birds have been slaughtered since H5N1
\nerupted among Asian poultry flocks in 2003.<\/p>\n
Direct losses were highest in Vietnam, with 44 million birds,
\namounting to 17.5 percent of the poultry population, and in
\nThailand (29 million birds, 14.5 percent), the FAO said.<\/p>\n
In the six most affected countries -- China, Cambodia,
\nIndonesia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam -- the contribution of the
\npoultry sector to gross domestic product (GDP) ranges from 0.5
\npercent to 1.5 percent.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/asian-poultry-industry-faces-wrenching-change-from-bird-flu-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}