March 29, 2005

North Korea's growing poultry industry under bird flu threat

North Korea's thriving poultry industry is in peril as the recent bird flu outbreak threatens to wipe out millions of chickens in the country.

Hundreds of thousands of chickens have already been culled since North Korea confirmed the presence of the deadly virus at two or three poultry farms in Pyongyang.

The number of chickens in the country recorded 18.7 million in 2004.

Stringent measures are currently being implemented to prevent an epidemic and extensive damages to the local poultry industry.

North Korea has strived to modernise and construct facilities for the breeding and processing of chicken, which is the key source of animal protein in the country.