Expert regrets revision of bird flu regulation

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 08/27/2007 1:40 PM  |  National

Ary Hermawan, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Jembrana Regency has lifted its ban on chicken meat and day-old chicks (DOCs) from entering the regency following protests from Bali poultry farmers, who slammed the rule as damaging their businesses.

Udayana University virologist Ngurah Mahardika deplored the decision, reiterating his statement that DOCs, even if bred from vaccinated broilers, could still carry H5N1. He argued that the health certificates accompanying shipments of chicks and chicken meats were no guarantee they were free from the virus.

""What they did before was remarkably good. But, I now deplore the lifting of the regulation and the fact that the authorities are being inconsistent,"" he told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

""In the current situation, the authorities must take concrete measures to block birds from entering the regency,"" he stressed.

Jembrana Regent I Gede Winasa previously banned chicken meat, eggs and DOCs from entering the regency to curb the spread of the bird flu virus, which claimed its first Bali victim in Tukad Aya village, Negara, Jembrana, last week.

The ban was originally to last for at least 30 days after its imposition.

The rule was strongly opposed by poultry farmers.

Speaking to Bali legislators Tuesday, the farmers argued that DOCs and chicken meat were safe as long as they were certified by the animal husbandry and health authorities. They said the ban had disrupted the supply of DOCs to the island.

""We have agreed to relax the regulations to allow the transfer of DOCs and chicken eggs to and from Jembrana,"" acting Jembrana Agriculture and Fisheries Agency director IGN Sandaja said Wednesday.

Bali Husbandry Agency director I.B. Raka said there was no reason for the authorities to ban certified DOCs.

""The public should not be worried about this. As long as they are certified, they are free from all diseases, not just bird flu,"" he told the Post.

He explained that one of the reasons the regulations needed to be relaxed was that Bali needed about 100,000 chickens per day for human consumption, while local farmers could only produce 80,000.

""We need the supply from Java to cover the deficit,"" he said.

Raka said his agency would continue to oversee the transportation of fowl on the island, focusing on the routes that were often used by smugglers. Despite the effort, he acknowledged that chickens and other birds were being transported to and from Jembrana without official verification.

He said that Bali had 12 million chickens and other fowl, seven million of which were owned by big farmers.

""The remaining five million are owned by households. These are the birds that need special supervision,"" Raka said.

Regencies such as Badung, Denpasar, Gianyar and Buleleng have conducted mass spraying and the inspection of flocks suspected of being infected by H5N1. They have also mounted a public campaign to raise public awareness about bird flu.

Mahardika, however, criticized the campaign, which he said was not sufficiently intensive.

""What we need is a mass campaign. We need to meet with the people. We have to go around door to door,"" he argued.

He said he had received reports that a village in Tabanan regency had covered up the death of chickens there as they were afraid their village would be quarantined.

""This is a clear sign that public participation in the fight against bird flu is lacking,"" he said.

Chickens that had died of bird flu have been found in rivers in Tabanan and Jembrana regencies. Animal husbandry officials from Jembrana found at least nine dead chickens in the Tukad Pasar Negara river, which is also used for by people for bathing.

""This is indeed a high risk action,"" Mahardika said.

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