Bird Flu Back On The Menu

[bambob]

New bird-flu cases dash export hopes

Monitoring extended in nine provinces

PHUSADEE ARUNMAS

Yukol: Open farms need to register

A new bird flu outbreak in Suphan Buri has dashed hopes by the poultry industry that it could resume exports of fresh chicken meat within the next several months, or anytime soon.

News of the outbreak yesterday pushed down shares of the two major listed chicken exporters, Charoen Pokphand Foods by 3.65% to 4.22 baht, and GFPT by 10.67% to 13.4 baht.

Yukol Limlamthong, the chief of the Livestock Development Department, said bird flu was under control in Thailand.

Regardless, the new outbreak would extend the monitoring period by the World Organisation for Animal Health, or OIE, for yet another 90 days.

The government had planned to declare Thailand bird flu-free today, 90 days after the last recorded case in Lop Buri.

Suphan Buri is one of nine provinces that had been under a 90-day OIE monitoring period since the last outbreaks were put down in mid-April. The other eight provinces are Ang Thong, Lop Buri, Kamphaeng Phet, Nakhon Sawan, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Sukhothai and Uttaradit.

Thailand cannot resume fresh meat exports until the OIE formally certifies the country is free of outbreaks for at least 90 days.

Since last year the virus has killed at least 55 people _ 12 Thais, 39 Vietnamese and four Cambodians.

Mr Yukol said yesterday no new outbreaks had been reported at poultry and layer farms, most of which have been converted into closed-environment farms with stringent safeguards against outside contamination.

Around 11,000 poultry farms and 1,700 layer farms nationwide have passed bio-security standards set by the government. But smaller community farms pose greater concern. Most operate as open-air facilities that easily can be contaminated from the outside.

''We need to put effective controls on native chicken farms and free-range duck farms by requiring everyone to register,'' Mr Yukol said.

To date, 20,000 farmers who raise 400,000 native chickens have registered with the department. Authorities estimate that 600,000 native chickens and 2,000 flocks of free-range birds are outside state control and monitoring.

''The problem is that these poultry present a risk for future outbreaks, and are still being transported from place to place despite agreements with farmers to ban transport,'' Mr Yukol said.

Mr Yukol declined to comment on whether Thailand should impose more stringent measures, such as the banning of all free-range farms, a policy taken by Vietnam and Hong Kong.

''What to do to eradicate the outbreak will be up to the government,'' he said.

Panya Chotitawan, the chairman of Saha Farms Co, the country's leading chicken exporter, supported an outright ban on unregistered farms, and criticised the government's handling of the bird flu.

Raising free-range ducks should be banned permanently to help secure the future of the country's poultry industry, he said, adding that full legal action should be taken against any operators who violate the law and sanitation rules.

''The government has been reluctant to ban these types of farms for political reasons,'' said Mr Panya. ''But they haven't considered the huge damage suffered by the export industry or the risks of possible mutation and infection of humans.

''Has the government ever considered that the decline in tourism isn't because of the tsunami, but because of the poor management of the bird flu?''

Saha Farms estimated its revenues this year could fall 50% to 10 billion baht because of the ban on chicken meat exports.

Most countries and regions, including Japan and Europe, two of Thailand's largest markets, continue to allow select imports of cooked meat after careful inspection using stringent standards.

Some exporters remained optimistic that the latest outbreak will not cause a reversal of the entire industry.

Anan Sirimongkolkasem, the president of the Thai Broiler Processing Exporters Association, said the latest outbreak was found at small, native chicken farms, not at facilities raising poultry for export.

He remained upbeat that Thailand's chicken industry would generate 34 billion baht in export revenue this year through the shipment of 350,000 tonnes of cooked and semi-cooked chicken, up from 193,000 tonnes worth 22 billion baht in 2004.

source:bangkokpost.com

[bambob]

BIRD-FLU SCARE: National ban on cockfighting

Published on Jul 12 , 2005

Herding of ducks also outlawed in 25 provinces after spate of chicken deaths

A temporary nationwide ban on cockfighting has been imposed along with a ban on "mobile" duck breeding in 25 provinces.

The bans are precautionary measures ordered yesterday by

the Department of Livestock Development (DLD) to counter the possible outbreak of bird flu

following reports of unusual

mass deaths of farm poultry in

12 provinces.

The moves were proposed "in advance" during meetings of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives officials over the past few weeks. DLD director-general Yukhol Limlaemthong said the bans were finally approved yesterday by Deputy Prime Minister Pinij Charusombat.

Three ministries - Interior, Natural Resources and Environment and Public Health - were made jointly responsible for imposing the ban on cockfighting and duck breeding.

Tests are being done on chickens that died in Kalasin, Phetchabun, Loei and Chachoengsao to determine whether their deaths were caused by bird-flu. Results of the laboratory tests are expected to be known within the week.

Tests are also being carried out on samples of carcasses of farm poultry in the eight other provinces, which include Suphan Buri, Pathum Thani, Prachin Buri, Udon Thani, Lampang, Chiang Mai and Lamphun.

In reference to the ban on cockfighting events, Yukhol said fighting roosters and locally-bred chickens were suspected to be primary sources of the disease. Owners of fighting cocks will also be asked

to keep their animals in confinement. And ducks must not be herded around as breeders usually do.

Yukhol said he feared that if the tests indicate bird flu, chicken exports would be halted until at least the end of this year, pending the mandatory 90-day evaluation period required under the World Organisation for Animal Health.

The DLD chief believed that duck breeders in the 25 provinces, which include the 12 provinces where mass poultry deaths have been reported, would comply with the ban. Last year when the first outbreak of bird flu hit the country, duck breeders adhered to bans whenever they were imposed.

the Nation

[BambinA]

baby ,, im really sorry if im too harsh

just phunk bird flu and HIV off

just dont care em..life is too short ..happy with your life

bambi

ps..troll agian? ... no protect yourself stay far away from suck stuff

[baht&sold]

Bob, said it before and saying it again:

-In a related report- "the sky is falling, the sky is falling"...

Everyone, to the bunkers, with haste! YOU there, drop that, no KFC in here...

Seriously tho, awareness in SE Asia thankfully seems to be on the up

with birdflu and hopefully accountability and concrete actions will eventually follow...(one hopes)

Anymore scary news stories?