December 18, 2003

 

 

Thailand Declares Disease Outbreak Not Highly Infectious Bird Flu

 

Thailand moved to reassure buyers that the recent disease outbreak in two of its provinces was not the highly infectious bird flu.

Yukol Limlamthong, director-general of the Thai Livestock Development Department, issued the clarification yesterday after Japan, Poland and Malaysia expressed concerns about the safety of Thai chicken shipments.

He said the department had already submitted a clarification letter enclosed with scientific investigation results to the three countries.

The three countries are significant buyers, especially Japan, the largest importer of Thai chicken with 260,000 tons purchased in 2002, about 57% of the country's total exports.

According to Mr Yukol, several chicken were initially found to have succumbed to a bacteria named pastuerella multocida Type A in Nong Bua district in Nakhon Sawan, part of which borders Phichit province.

The department promptly took comprehensive measures in compliance with the agreement on public safety of livestock products under the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) to control the affected areas that covered six farms.

The department ordered the slaughter of 108,299 chickens on November 13, and banned the movement of the dead chicken out of affected farming areas in a radius of 60 kilometres.

According to Mr Yukol, the department also ordered the killing of 14,000 poultry at Bang Nam Prieo, Chachoengsao, and 20,000 in Ang Thong.

As well, he said, the department had identified Nakhon Pathom and Ratchaburi provinces among the latest affected areas.

Samples have been tested in a laboratory but information on the specific name of the disease was not yet available.

However, Mr Yukol insisted it was not bird flu.

He said the department was preparing to set aside compensation for the affected farmers, but that the Thai Broiler Processing Exporters Association would have to help as the department had only 1.5 million baht in its budget.

Payment was set at 75% of the market prices based on the chickens' health and local prices.

"We insist that the department has taken a tight controls including vaccination supplies to the affected areas and ordered the killing of chicken that were found dead by disease to prevent its spread."

An industry source said most of the chickens affected were from small farms and that the health of birds raised in the evaporative systems used by larger companies was at a high standard.

The source said exporters had been busy in recent weeks notifying their clients and had urged the department to clarify the issue in order to ensure no ill effects on the 45-billion-baht chicken export industry.

Prices of broilers have remained stable at 24 baht a kilogramme.

Prices over the year have fluctuated because of several factors. They were as low as 18-19 baht early in the year as a result of an oversupply and surged to 30 baht when large orders from Japan had shifted to Thailand from China where bird flu had been detected.

Local producers subsequently agreed in August to supply curbs until the end of the year in order to support prices.