At Least 3 Months For Perak To Be Declared Free Of Bird Flu

IPOH, March 20 (Bernama) -- Perak will only be declared free of bird flu after three to six months and until the announcement is made, the ban on bringing out poultry will continue.
Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said based on the experience in tackling the outbreak in Tumpat, Kelantan, in 2004, at least six months were needed before the declaration was to be made.
"We have to look at the situation. If it can easily be put under control, may be in three months, Perak can be declared free of bird flu. This is according to the protocol set out by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE)," he told a press conference after meeting the residents of Changkat Tualang in Gopeng, Monday.
He said the monitoring and vetting process that was being carried out within 10 km radius of the affected areas, could be completed in about a week but a "window period" of between three and six months needed to be given to ensure the areas were completely free of the disease.
"We have to follow the OIE protocol because if an early declaration is made, we fear people will get suspicious and suppose we want to hide something. The OIE now accepts our announcement because we are credible and other countries will not doubt us," he said.
"Therefore, a request by certain parties to bring ducks out of Perak to other states to escape the export ban to Singapore cannot be entertained. We have to quarantine them in Perak and cannot allow the animal to be taken to other states," he said.
Changkat Tualang and the Ecopark in the Bukit Merah Laketown Resort near Taiping were hit by the H5N1 strain of the bird flu virus last week. Following that, over 42,000 poultry and other birds there had been culled.
Muhyiddin said 118 commercial duck rearers in Perak must heed to the situation because all parties had no options other than complying with the protocol in dealing with the outbreak.
"We do not have many options because the health of humans is the priority. Which is more important, profits or human lives? The commercial rearers need to see that the measures taken are to ensure the long term future of the industry," he said.
He also said the steps taken by other countries like Singapore to suspend the import of poultry and poultry-based products from Perak rested with the authorities of the countries. He said even if Perak has been declared free of the disease, the import ban might continue for a longer period as a precautionary measure taken by the importing country.
The Veterinary Services Department (VSD), however, would give its cooperation to Singapore's Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) if they plan to inspect duck farms here with a view to an early lifting of the ban after Perak had been declared free of the disease, he said.
He said that presently, Singapore obtained their supply of poultry and poultry-based products from Johor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan.
The ban involved 113 commercial duck rearers in Perak that had supplied about 20,000 ducks to Singapore.
On the culling and control operation, Muhyiddin said about 32,000 ducks, 8,000 chickens, 500 free-range chickens and 1,400 eggs within one kilometre radius of Changkat Tualang had been destroyed while the monitoring effort would cover 10 km radius.
He said compensation totalling RM230,000 to three commercial farms and 500 residents in Changkat Tualang would be paid out next week.
The amount to be paid to Bukit Merah Laketown Resort had not been decided because the Cabinet had only fixed the rate for poultry that had been culled, he said.
Exotic birds kept at the Ecopark are said to be worth up to RM10,000 each.
Muhyiddin also said his ministry would prepare a guideline and aid to villagers to implement a controlled breeding system.
He said the way villagers raise poultry should change because the bird flu virus had so far only involved poultry reared in open spaces.
Villagers would be encouraged to use the controlled breeding system and the ministry planned to provide advice and loans to them to build poultry pens.
"Not that we want to prohibit villagers from raising poultry but a proper system needs to be introduced to prevent the outbreak of diseases like bird flu," he said.