August 30, 2005

Russia suffers almost 38 million rubles in bird flu damage

Russia's government said epizootic damages were estimated at over 37.98 million rubles, excluding costs of preventive measures and quarantine.

While the government said reserve funds would be used to help affected areas, compensation for farmers to cull infected poultry was reportedly not enough.

Industry reports indicated that in the Novosibirsk region, compensation for each culled chicken, duck and goose or turkey was only about US$3, US$5 and US$6.5 respectively. Because a hen that laid eggs reportedly brought about US$180 in annual income, poultry farmers said government compensation was insufficient.