November 28, 2005

Indonesia's Aceh authorities take anti-bird flu measures

Local authorities in Indonesia's Banda Aceh city have culled 109 chickens and ducks, after several chickens in the Lamdom area tested positive for bird flu earlier, a government official said.

Banda Aceh's husbandry office head Syamsuddin Ali said poultry farmers were initially unwilling to cull their birds, but later agreed after officials stressed the seriousness of the situation.

Local authorities planned to disinfect poultry farms in Lamdom as a precaution. The local government also planned to compensate farmers who culled their chickens at Rp12,500 (about US$1.25) a chicken.

Meanwhile, Indonesia's government said it would call for cooperation among Association of Southeast Asian Nations members against bird flu, during the upcoming regional summit in December.