Thailand mulls sending culled chicken to feed the world's poor

Published on Feb 4, 2004

BANGKOK, Feb 4 (AFP) - Thailand's premier has asked the government to investigate whether chickens being culled here to prevent the spread of bird flu could be cooked, canned and sent to poor countries, a minister said Wednesday.

Commerce minister Watana Muangsook told reporters Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had made the request to ministers during Tuesday's cabinet meeting.

"The prime minister asked them to check whether it would be against rules of the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) for Thailand to produce canned cooked chicken from disease-free chickens and give it to poor countries," he said.

"If it is against OIE rules, Thailand will not do it," Watana said.

The Paris-based OIE is the world's veterinary health watchdog.

Nearly 25 million chickens have been culled across Thailand in a bid to prevent the spread of the deadly avian influenza virus, which has killed four people in the kingdom and 11 in Vietnam.

Culling has already been completed across 31 of the 38 Thai provinces where the virus has been detected.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that the avian influenza virus is destroyed if infected poultry or eggs is cooked at 75 degrees Celsius (167 Fahrenheit). The virus is largely transmitted through bird droppings.

.....do they really need to send it for reach the poor?

Suggest that if the PM can suggest such it would save some budget for the country to can the meat make like a "HP sauce" kind of product characteristic of the Thai parliament to be served in parliament to all the MPs whenever there is a function or during parliamentary meetings.

As a bonus all MPs of TRT party would be given a life time supply of canned sick chicken meat in lieu of Baht for good performance.

Guaranteed that Mr. Big is working some angle here to make money for one of his cronies as opposed to any altruistic motive of feeding the world's poor.

Think CP Foods in my opinion.

TRT? Taksin Rak Taksin.

TYT? Taksin Yed Thailand. Hard