March 6, 2015

Taiwan requires poultry raised in enclosures

From September this year, poultry in Taiwan are now required to be raised in enclosed spaces, said the country's Council of Agriculture.

This measure is meant to contain the spread of avian flu which has affected hundreds of local farms. This week, four more sites were reported to have been hit by the virus, bringing the total number of affected farms since mid-January to 860.

The outbreaks have resulted in the culling of about 4.17 million birds including chickens, geese and ducks.

The latest measure is meant to cut contact between farms and migratory birds, which are expected to arrive in Taiwan in September, according to Chang Su-san, the director-general of the council's Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine.

A six-month transition period has been given to poultry farmers to adopt the changes required under the new rules. For the establishment of enclosures, they will be offered loans at the preferential interest rate of 1.5%.  

Failure to comply will warrant fines ranging from US$850 to $4,300, to be imposed by local authorities.

Other measures to be undertaken by the Council of Agriculture include three-month surveillances of farms that lie within a three-kilometer radius of outbreak sites. It also plans to require poultry farms with a minimum of 500 birds instead of the current 3,000 to register.