April 19, 2005

Vietnam considers culling water fowl, but lacks funds

The bird flu which has killed 36 people in Vietnam, has been spreading quickly across the southern Mekong delta, causing officials to consider culling more poultry. In some provinces in the Mekong, up to 85 percent of water fowls have been found to have the H5 strain of the virus.  

Nguyen Phuc Tai, director of Animal Health Department of Bac Lieu province said that although regulations state the need to cull all infected birds, there is not enough money to do so at the moment. Low compensation rates equivalent to about US 50 cents per chicken or duck are also causing farmers to be reluctant about letting their poultry be culled.