November 4, 2004

Poultry Farmers In Kelantan, Malaysia to Receive RM300,000 In Compensation
 

Poultry farmers in Malaysian state Kelantan will receive about RM300,000 in compensation for the culling of their birds to contain the spread of the bird flu.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin stated that the government will pay about 100 farmers in a week or two.

The affected farmers would be paid according to the category of livestock and birds culled based on the records with the Veterinary Services Department.

The fact that no more new bird flu cases had been reported in Kelantan was taken into account when payment was being made.

"However, the monitoring will continue, and the ban on transporting chickens, ducks and birds in and out of the state remains in force," the Minister said.

These measures were necessary in order to prevent a recurrence of the outbreak. It was also due to the disease not yet totally eradicated in Thailand, he added.

Cooperation among countries in the region, other nations affected by the bird flu as well as the relevant non-governmental organisations would be stepped up to contain the disease.

"This is important because the World Health Organisation has stated that the bird flu can become an epidemic as there is no vaccine for the disease to date," he said.