January 7, 2014

Shanghai to suspend live poultry sale due to bird flu

After the city saw its first case of H7N9 bird flu virus of the new year last week, Shanghai's municipal government announced that it will suspend live poultry sale from January 31 to April 30 as a 'seasonal measure'.

There will be a certain amount of economic compensation from the Shanghai government to market owners affected by the suspension, Shanghai government spokesman Xu Wei said.

Shao Lin, deputy director of Shanghai's agriculture commission said that the suspension of live poultry sale "will certainly produce a series of problems" but the government hopes to "minimise residents' losses" during this period.

After finding a pigeon that tested positive for the H7N9 virus, Shanghai had closed the Huhuai live poultry trade sector in Songjiang district. Since then, more than 20,000 birds have been culled. Vendors will get compensation no lower than 50% of the market price.