January 20, 2004

 

 

Thailand Ups Stakes in Bird Flu Battle

 

The Thai Broiler Processing Exporters Association Tuesday pledged to pay 1 million baht ($1=THB39.046) to the estate of anyone who dies from contracting bird flu after eating Thai chicken products.

 

Association President Anan Sirimongkolkasem said the association is pledging the compensation in a bid to boost confidence among consumers that Thai chickens are free of the bird flu disease.

 

Fears about the bird flu disease arose last week when local media reported that some farmers said millions of chickens have died from the avian flu in Thailand - a major chicken exporter.

 

The virus has ravaged chicken farms elsewhere in Asia, including Vietnam, South Korea and Japan and has caused the deaths of five people in Vietnam.

 

However, the Thai government has insisted that fowl cholera and infectious bronchitis were the causes of chicken deaths.

 

Anan said the compensation program will last until concerns about the virus abate.

 

Anan said that some chicken importers have asked the association about the situation in Thailand and some importers in the E.U. and Japan, major buyers of Thai chickens, have sent their representatives to investigate chicken farms.

 

No buyers have canceled orders of Thai chickens so far, Anan said.

 

European Union Health and Consumer Protection Commissioner David Byrne is visiting Thailand this week. He said late Monday after meeting with officials at the Agriculture Ministry that he agreed the bird flu disease hasn't hit Thailand.

 

"There's absolutely no evidence of the existence of bird flu in Thailand," he said.

 

However, Byrne said the E.U. is carefully monitoring avian flu in Asia and keeping a close eye on the situation in Thailand.

 

Thailand is one of the world's top five chicken exporters, shipping 540,000 tons of chicken valued around THB50 billion in 2003, the latest figures from the association show.

 

The association had targeted to export 630,000 tons of chicken worth THB70 billion in 2004. However, the recent chicken deaths could lower exports, Anan said Friday.