Avian influenza 0128: 38 new confirmed cases, Nantou affected, goose supply down to 30 percent
As of 6 p.m. yesterday, avian influenza had added another 35 cases of abnormal reporting, with 38 poultry farms confirmed infected with the H5 subtype of avian influenza, among them the first confirmed case in Nantou; Chang Shu-hsien, director-general of the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, said this case was located at a slaughterhouse, and the source was free-range chickens from Dongshi, Yunlin. It was reported before the slaughter ban on the 25th, and the test results came out yesterday. The source has now been traced, and testing is still under way.
Chen Pao-chi, minister of the Council of Agriculture, said this is exactly why there is a four-day suspension of slaughter: during the suspension, disinfection of farm workers and transport vehicles can be strengthened; does this mean the virus is spread by humans? Chen Pao-chi said that this time many high-standard poultry farms were still infected with avian influenza, so it truly cannot be ruled out that migratory birds brought it in and it was then spread by people.
Culling compensation: the central government pays 90 percent
Yesterday the Executive Yuan held a cross-ministerial discussion and decided that the central government would pay more than 90 percent of the culling compensation, with the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics of the Executive Yuan coordinating the allocation. Chen Pao-chi said that for the five hot-zone counties and cities, including Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, Yunlin and Changhua, the central government pays 95 percent of the compensation funds and local governments 5 percent, while for non-hot zones the central government pays 90 percent, because this avian influenza outbreak is a new one, and in the past when the Council of Agriculture compensated for various construction projects, activities, and production-marketing imbalances, the highest compensation ratio was 95 percent.
The Executive Yuan has said it hopes all farmers can receive their compensation before the Lunar New Year, but currently only Tainan City has reported culling compensation amounts. Chen Pao-chi said local governments record the age and number of poultry and assess the compensation price, and only after the assessment is reported can the central government disburse the compensation. However, local governments are still busy culling. Based on the experience of South Korea and Japan, it takes at least three months to handle it properly, but he hopes at least 60 percent can be given to farmers before the Lunar New Year so they can have a good New Year, with final calculation and actual verification and correction afterward. As for how much the culling compensation will cost, the Council of Agriculture is still calculating.
Goose supply down to 30 percent
The industry hit hardest by this avian influenza outbreak is goose farming, with 80 percent already confirmed, and the most severe area is Yunlin. According to a September estimate by the Council of Agriculture, Yunlin had a total of 407 goose farms, with more than 715,000 geese being raised. At present 260 farms have been confirmed, and the number of abnormal reports has reached 284 farms, with 930,000 geese in total, more than the Council of Agriculture's survey last year. Chang Shu-hsien explained that because the number of geese fluctuates, the third-quarter number was lower than the fourth-quarter number, and because Yunlin has the most farms, outbreaks are still being reported one after another, but they should slow down afterward.
The Council of Agriculture ordered a slaughter ban starting at noon on the 25th, which returns to normal at noon today, but Chen Pao-chi said the supply of geese has already fallen to below 30 percent of the previous slaughter number, and in the future guidance will be provided for restocking, building efficient and healthy poultry production systems, and accelerating the rebuilding of the industry.
