November 15, 2005

Vietnam's Hanoi to cull all inner-city poultry

Hanoi would cull all inner-city poultry and conduct strict inspections starting mid-November in all poultry slaughtering houses, authorities said.

In addition, authorities would carry out an intense disinfection campaign all around the city for five days.

Meanwhile, controls on trade, transport and slaughter of poultry in Hanoi would be tightened. 2.83 million poultry have also been vaccinated in the city, meeting 87.3 percent of the set target earlier this month.

In Ho Chi Minh City, backyard farming has been banned starting Nov 10.

Authorities in the northern port city of Hai Phong have issued a regulation to suspend poultry farming, and the breeding and raising of water fowl and quail from now until February 2006.

Meanwhile, the government's bird flu prevention committee has ordered all regions to step up their poultry vaccination efforts, in order to vaccinate 80 percent of the domestic poultry by late November this year.

Official sources stated that 93 million poultry have already been vaccinated nationwide.