Govt mulling compulsory vaccination

NST: Although vaccinated chickens and ducks may not go down well with importers in Singapore, the consensus among breeders is that the country’s RM5 billion a year poultry industry must be protected against bird flu.
Agriculture and Agro- based Industry Deputy Minister Datuk Mah Siew Keong said poultry farmers had lost millions of ringgit since the deadly H5N1 virus was detected.
According to breeders, only 20 per cent of the country’s chickens are exported to Singapore, while the rest are for local consumption.
However, 80 per cent of ducks from Perak are exported to Singapore.
Singapore has stopped importing poultry from Perak since the bird flu outbreak.
Mah said chicken farmers wanted the Government to vaccinate the birds and protect the industry.
He said his ministry was testing the effectiveness of the vaccination and the results would be known in two weeks.
Malaysia is also holding talks with Singapore on the duration of its import ban and whether it would accept vaccinated chicken and ducks.
Mah was speaking to reporters after attending an "eat chicken" campaign organised by Perak Gerakan here yesterday.
Among those present were Gerakan vice-president and Perak Gerakan chairman Datuk Chang Ko Youn and national Gerakan wanita head Tan Lian Hoe.
Mah, who is the national Gerakan Youth chief, urged non-governmental organisations and political parties to organise similar campaigns to dispel fears among the public of consuming chicken.
He said his ministry would hold talks with States hit by the bird flu on moving duck farms away from ponds and disused mining pools, which attracted migratory birds, believed to be carriers of the H5N1 virus.