December 2, 2005

Philippines needs focus on backyard farmers in bird flu fight

Dr Jean Bacayo, chief of veterinary and quarantine division of the Department of Agriculture in the Philippines' Davao region, said the fight against bird flu must also focus on backyard poultry raisers, as they accounted for a major part of the local poultry industry.

However, he admitted that it would be hard to reach out to backyard poultry raisers as they were dispersed around the region.

Bacayo estimated that backyard farmers raised about 70 percent, or 105 million out of 150 million poultry heads in the southern Mindanao region.

He added that local officials needed coordination, as they were more knowledgeable of their respective communities and could better monitor and raise local awareness on bird flu.

Sufficient funding for anti-bird flu measures was vital as it would be very difficult to fight the virus otherwise, according to Bacayo. He said Japan was a good example in eradicating the virus immediately due to the country's financial capability.

Meanwhile, local authorities have made a preparedness plan to cull all poultry within a three-kilometre radius once an area was infected, and transporting chicken within a seven-kilometre radius would be prohibited, Bacayo said.

He also urged the public to immediately report to local authorities any abnormal number of chicken deaths found in an area.