September 16, 2009

Improved control and regulations of imported poultry and poultry products and better market hygiene will probably have the best prospects for future prevention and control of bird flu in Cambodia, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Tuesday (Sep 15).

FAO animal production officer Olaf Thieme said such interventions would also help to improve the quality and hygiene of poultry products in general.

According to a report, the demand for poultry products is growing and the more favourable production conditions in neighbouring countries may lead to an increasing import of these products. This situation may also pose the greater risk for the reintroduction of bird flu into the country.

The report said that to prevent possible bird flu outbreaks, government interventions should focus on strict import controls at the borders as large poultry producers in neighbouring countries will find Cambodia's growing poultry market attractive.

The report also recommends that regulating the transport and marketing of poultry and its products should also be conducted particularly in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap which are the main centres for the trade of poultry.

The transport system such as collecting birds in the villages to bringing them to collection points and to urban centres are likely to spread disease over long distances, the report said.

Studies found that the low incidence of bird flu in Cambodia and the official approach to its control did not result in a major threat to the livelihoods of small poultry producers and the local poultry genetic resources.

The project aims to promote policies and strategies to prevent and control bird flu, which is sensitive to the needs of smallholder producers.