Bird Flu Getting Worse, Chicken Depopulation Faces Difficulties

BANDAR LAMPUNG – Outbreak of Avian Influenza hits Lampung again. Already poultry in 8 of 11 districts/municipalities in Lampung province are now infected. In response the Livestock and Animal Health Services Office of Lampung Province asks districts/municipalities to depopulate infected poultry. Unfortunately poor public awareness is holding back the effort. The latest case was in chickens in three sub-villages in three sub-districts in Tulangbawang district.

About 346 chickens owned by 26 households suddenly died on Sunday (17/2), they were positive for the disease. The three sub-villages are Margodadi in East Mesuji, Muara Terang in Tanjung Raya, and Indraloka II in Way Kenanga. Head of the Livestock and Animal Health Services Office of Tulangbawang, Nasrizal, suspected that the virus came from chicken manure imported from South Sumatra that is used as plant fertilizers. Besides mass spraying [of disinfectants] and vaccination, the district government of Tulangbawang is also conducting intense extensions to the society. “We hope citizens could provide cages for their poultry. We will also strengthen monitoring on the traffic of poultry entering Tulangbawang through our posts.”
Before, bird flu has struck East Lampung. Until last week, 12 villages in 8 sub-districts have been infected, killing around 3000 chickens. Head of the Animal Health Division in the Livestock Services Office of East Lampung, Dewanto, explained that bird flu has infected native chickens in East Lampung since early January 2008. The humid condition in rainy season added with weakened condition of the chickens both seems to support the development of that disease, thus creating an outbreak.
Socialization, extensions, depopulation, and spraying have all been done, but lack support from farmers. For example, a farmer that some of his native chickens had died due to bird flu refuses to depopulate the rest of his chickens. “They prefer to quarantine instead of receiving compensation of 15,000 rupiahs for a large chicken and 3,000 rupiahs for a small chicken,” he said.
Head of the Livestock and Animal Health Services Office of Lampung Province, Hanan AR, said that some districts have prepared funds to compensate for depopulated poultry. South Lampung and East Lampung districts, for example have prepared compensation of 15,000 rupiahs for a large-sized chicken and 10,000 rupiahs for a small-sized chicken. “The money will then be replaced by the Ministry of Agriculture. Therefore district and municipal government are urged to immediately depopulate loose poultry,” he explained. n
Source : Sinar Harapan