January 30, 2004

CP Ordered Mass Slaughter of Chickens

Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group, Thailand's largest processor and exporter of poultry products, yesterday ordered mass slaughter of more than 200,000 chickens in Doem Bang Nangbuat district.

"We have agreed to cooperate with the company. CP told us that the move would stem the spread of the [bird flu] disease," said Thanyaporn Rungroj, who has been working for Charoen Pokphand for more than three years.

Charoen Pokphand said that it would pick up the tab for the cull and offer compensation, Thanyaporn said, adding that farmers started complying yesterday.

In Bang Pla Ma district of Suphan Buri province, instructors at Baan Bang Chik School have abandoned their plan to close the school's doors temporarily after local officials found a way to stop the foul smell of deceased chickens from disrupting lectures by wafting into classrooms.

"The stench was unbearable," school principal Prayoon Doklamyai said, blaming the improper burial of the destroyed chickens for the overwhelming odour.

Local officials ordered that another ditch be dug up and the bird carcasses reburied to ensure that the primary school's teachers and 105 students would not be disturbed.

Bang Pla Ma district's education chief Chuchart Kanchana-thanachai instructed officials at the 173 schools under his supervision to guard themselves against infection from the avian influenza.

The schools that raise poultry on their grounds must contact livestock officials to discuss the culling, he said, and necessary steps must be taken to prevent the birds from entering school buildings.

Regular cleaning must be carried out and schools must be free of fowl excrement, Chuchart told subordinates.

"Educate students about bird flu and alert authorities immediately if you come across any problem," the district's education chief said.