Taiwan bans killing of poultry again as bird flu virus spreads

[DefJam]

Taiwan bans killing of poultry again as bird flu virus spreads

2015/01/23 21:59:43

Taipei, Jan. 23 (CNA) Taiwan on Friday announced it will ban the killing of chickens, ducks and geese at the nation's 100 slaughterhouses for a second time starting this weekend as an avian influenza outbreak continues to affect more farms.

Chen Bao-ji (陳保基), head of the Council of Agriculture (農委會), said that the ban will last four days this time, unlike last time's two days, and will start at noon on Saturday and continue until noon next Wednesday.

During this period, there will be no killings at the slaughterhouses, which will undergo an across-the-board disinfection.

Sales of poultry in four wholesale markets in Taipei, Taichung and Fengshan and Gangshan in Kaohsiung will also be suspended.

The COA's Department of Animal Husbandry said that during this period, chickens, ducks and geese that were previously slaughtered and refrigerated will be sold, adding that the amount in storage was enough to meet the demand.

The COA first confirmed the infection of avian flu at a chicken farm in southern Taiwan's Pingtung county on Jan.9.

It then announced a ban on killing geese and ducks at slaughterhouses for two days until noon Jan. 14 and took other measures, such as inspecting poultry farms and ordering disinfections.

But the number of farms and poultry affected continued to rise after the ban.

As of 6 p.m. Thursday, the COA has confirmed that 370 fowl farms in eight cities and counties in Taiwan have been infected with various strains of avian flu virus, including a new type of H5N2, as well as H5N8 and H5N3 that had not been found in Taiwan before. More than half a million poultry have been culled at affected farms as the government tries to stem the spread of the virus.

(By Yang Shu-min and Lilian Wu)