April 5, 2006

 

Philippines' bird flu measures meet roadblocks

 

 

Measures to cull poultry and keep them indoors in case of bird flu has met with skepticism in the Philippines, where ducks are allowed to graze freely and game cocks are highly prized items. 

 

Gil Nicolas, spokesman for the National Federation of Gamefowl Breeders (NFGB), predicts "strong resistance" to culling because of the breeders' attachment to their  fowls.

 

The Department of Agriculture (DA) is planning to ban the raising of ducks and other free-range poultry in wetlands, requiring farmers who want chickens and ducks to roam these areas to secure a permit.

 

Observers say it would be difficult to ban duck raisers from grazing their fowls in wetlands frequented by migratory birds that are potential carriers of the avian-flu virus.

 

Carolyn Benigno, animal health officer for Asia and the Pacific of the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), notes that extensive negotiation would be needed to persuade duck raisers that these measures are needed to contain the spread of bird flu.

 

Ruben Pascual, a coordinator of the National Avian Influenza Task Force (NAITF) said ducks are free ranging in nature and are not fed on commercial feeds, thus making it more vulnerable to the disease from wild birds.

 

The ducks can also infect domestic poultry, experts say, as they can harbour the virus without displaying signs of the disease.

 

The country has 10 million ducks with the majority of them raised in backyard farms. Ducks are usually raised for their eggs rather than for their meat.

 

Some say not allowing ducks to graze would only bring about more hardship for farmers as they would have to pay more for commercial feeds.

 

Private feed millers are proposing that duck raisers form a cooperative to manage a feed mill to help reduce feed cost. But Santos says this would do little to reduce costs.

 

However, other poultry raisers, who account for 15 percent of the country's total farm production have been following the NAITF's advice to impose stringent biosecurity measures.

 

Gregorio San Diego, chairman of the United Broiler Raisers Association (UBRA), an association of medium and small-scale poultry raisers, says these include regularly disinfecting their farms, prohibiting unnecessary visits to poultry farms, and fencing in their broilers. They have also banned free-range chickens.