Perak To Clean Up Duck Farms To Prevent New Bird Flu Outbreak

GOPENG, March 20 (Bernama) -- Perak will make it compulsory for duck farms in the state to breed the birds in an enclosed system as practised by chicken farms in the wake of the H5N1 bird flu outbreak last week.
It will also ban the slaughtering of poultry in wet markets, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali Monday.
He said these were among the measures to be taken to revive the poultry industry in the state which was badly hit by the discovery of two cases of the deadly bird flu in Kampung Changkat Tualang near Gopeng and the Bukit Merah Laketown in Taiping.
More than 40,000 ducks, chickens and birds were culled from the two areas since March 16.
Singapore has suspended the import of ducks from Perak, which previously supplied about 450,000 birds a month to the republic worth nearly RM4.5 million, jeopardising the future of 118 commercial duck farms.
Tajol Rosli said duck farmers in the state reared the birds in the open in former mining land on a large-scale, turning the state into the biggest producer of ducks in the country and the source of 80 per cent of Singapore's consumption.
He said the enclosed system of rearing would ensure greater safety in the farms and prevent nuisances such as foul smell and flies.
As for the ban on slaughtering of poultry in wet markets, he said it was to prevent the blood of the dead birds from flowing into drains which contributed to the foul smell and fly nuisance and could spread disease.
"We will hold a meeting with the breeders and traders to explain to them the two decisions which will be implemented as soon as possible," he said.
So far, only the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory has banned slaughtering of poultry in wet markets.