March 4, 2004

 

 

Japan Authorities Institute Fines For Delayed Bird Flu Reporting

 

Japanese farmers who attempt to hide or delay reporting of any disease outbreak in chickens will face fines of up to 300,000 yen, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said Wednesday.

 

The move comes amid growing concerns fanned by a Kyoto farm's failure to report mass chicken deaths.

 

It will be the first time the ministry has issued such an order under the Domestic Animal Infectious Diseases Control Law.

 

Because the order will be issued through the nation's 47 governors, the ministry will present a guideline during a meeting of prefectural officials Thursday afternoon in Tokyo.

 

During a meeting with farm minister Yoshiyuki Kamei on Wednesday, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said: "There are issues that can be handled under existing laws and others that need new legislation. Please deal with the (bird flu) issue by taking this into consideration."

 

Investigative sources said Kyoto police will pursue a criminal case against Asada Nosan Co., the operator of a farm hit by an outbreak of bird flu, for failing to report a chicken die-off.

 

The Kyoto Prefectural Government also may file a criminal complaint against the company, alleging the firm violated the Domestic Animal Infectious Diseases Control Law, which requires that health authorities be alerted to any suspected contagious poultry disease.

 

Thousands of chickens had died at the farm before officials, alerted by an anonymous tip, inspected the facility and confirmed the outbreak. The virus was also detected at a Hyogo Prefecture processor where infected chickens from the farm had been shipped.

 

The prefecture is consulting with the agriculture ministry and has set up an expert panel that includes lawyers to look into the case.

 

Kyoto police will launch a full-scale investigation once the prefecture files a complaint, the sources said.

 

Police have already questioned the firm's president, Hideaki Asada, 41, who has claimed he thought the chickens had suffered an intestinal inflammation.

 

The prefecture, placing priority on preventing the spread of the virus, has dispatched several officials to slaughter the remaining chickens at the farm.

 

"We are being forced to pay a huge expenditure, and this also interferes with our regular work," a senior prefectural official said. "It is necessary to make clear as soon as possible where the legal responsibility lies."

 

To reduce the economic impact on farmers in the event of a bird flu outbreak and to spur them to come forward as required, the farm ministry, prompted by the Kyoto case, plans to revise its epidemic prevention manual to reduce the time during which they are forbidden to transport chickens and eggs, ministry sources said.

 

The ministry plans to shorten the movement ban from 28 days to 21 in the hope that lowering the economic damage will get farmers to report abnormalities sooner.

 

The current manual prohibits farmers and households within a 30-km radius of an outbreak site from transporting chickens and eggs during the ban. The period starts upon completion of the disposal of the birds and disinfection of the chicken coops.

 

The ministry is also considering adjusting the ban area according to the size of any bird flu outbreak, including only a 5-km radius in a small outbreak.

 

Farms are currently required to alert authorities and subsequently undergo inspections if over a three-day period 10 percent or more of their chickens die.