World Poultry News:

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Thursday, May 22, 2008Print This Page
Saturated Fats in Diet Produce a Lower Deposition
US - It has been proven, in poultry, that the incorporation of saturated or monounsaturated fats in the feed increases fat deposition, whereas this does not happen with polyunsaturated fatty acids.



The aim of this thesis was to determine if the dietary fatty acids composition affects the amount of fat deposition in pigs, apart from its composition. This has been the line of work of CENTA's researcher, Pere Duran Montgé's doctoral thesis, titled 'Effects of dietary fatty acids composition on pig fat and fatty acid deposition'.

The results of these studies showed that pigs behaviour differs from that of chicken, in the sense of dietary saturated fats reduced fat deposition in relation to other studied fats and even in relation to a low-fat diet.

It has also been observed that the composition of fats in the diet modifies the expression of genes related to lipogenesis and the composition of de novo synthesized fat. Finally, the deposition of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), of interest for consumer's health, has been studied, and it has shown that when their level in the feed is high, rendition in deposition declines. This is particularly evident for EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) fatty acids present in fish, considered of interest to prevent cardiovascular diseases in humans, and whose deposition was lower than 50% of the administered amount.

On the other hand, the formation of these fatty acids from linolenic acid, their predecessor, and the deposition in the different fat tissues of pigs has also been studied. The highest DHA deposition is produced in the liver, but synthesis from linolenic acid is quite reduced as opposed to the more important formation of EPA from linolenic acid, whose deposition in the liver is more abundant.

CENTA's researcher, Pere Duran Montgé, defended his doctoral thesis titled 'Effects of dietary fatty acid composition on pig fat and fatty acid deposition' on April 7th, at the Faculty of Chemistry of the Universidad Rovira i Virgili and was awarded the PhD degree with the highest honour. Dr. Enric Esteve, from IRTA's Animal Nutrition Department, directed the thesis. The tribunal president was Prof. Clemente López Bote, from the Veterinary Faculty of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and the other members of the tribunal were Dr. Peter K Theil, from Denmark's Centre Foulum, Prof. Ana C Barroeta, from the Faculty of Veterinary of the Universidad Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Dr. Josep Ribalta from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University Rovira i Virgili and Dr. Carolina Realini, from IRTA's Meat and Carcass and Quality unit. This work has been financed by an INIA project as well as an INIA grant.

[mikey]

Increased fat digestibility in poultry
// 23 may 2008

Lucta S.A. reports that Luctarom® Convert increases fat digestibility in poultry diets. This is demonstrated by results showing increased activity of digestive enzymes in broilers fed this phytogenic product.

 
In digestibility trials conducted at IRTA (Spain), the feeding of Luctarom® Convert at 500 ppm improved soya bean oil digestibility by 3% and lard digestibility by 7% in 21-day old broilers. It was discovered that the product made lard as digestible as soya bean oil in young birds, thereby providing a novel alternative for poultry feed formulation.

Luctarom® Convert is a spice blend with performance enhancing properties. Results from numerous field trials show that it improved growth and FCR on average by 2%, says that company. It is also reported that Lucta S.A. can provide evidence that supports the main mode of action ascribed to this novel ingredient for poultry production.

[mikey]

Livestock and Poultry World Markets and Trade
China and the European Union are expected to be net broiler meat importers again in 2008 on the basis of continued strong demand, higher domestic prices, and strengthening currencies, writes the United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service.

 

Broiler Meat Trade Continues to Climb
Top 5 Importers

Net Importers Again

China is expected to be supplied mostly by the United States, whereas the EU is expected to be supplied by Brazil and Thailand. It is interesting to note that in the case of the EU, there’s a distinct 10-year upward trend as exports have fallen and imports have been rising. In the case of China, the trend of more imports and less exports is only prevalent in the past few years as consumers have shifted to poultry from more expensive pork.


Broiler Meat: 2008 Revised Forecast Overview
New countries have been added to the broiler meat PSD to reduce the gap between total imports and total exports by selected countries. These additional countries have data for 1997 to 2008 and are included in this circular as well as in the PSD Online. As a result, any comparison between the 2008 forecast published in November and the revised 2008 forecast should take this modification into account.


Production
The forecast for broiler production is raised to 71 million tons. Whereas broiler production forecasts for major producers (U.S., Brazil, and the European Union) are slightly higher, China’s broiler production is expected to grow by 10 percent over the November forecast.

United States is up 22,000 tons to 16.6 million tons based on strong demand.


China is raised 1.1 million tons to 12.5 million due to strong demand for the cheaper protein as pork prices continue to be high.


Brazil is boosted 345,000 tons to 10.9 million tons. Producers are expected to expand poultry output as local feed supplies are raised to record levels. Also, foreign and domestic demand continues to be strong.


European Union is up 110,000 tons to 8.2 million tons due to growing demand for the cheaper protein as meat prices rise and also additional capacity in Germany and Romania while UK recovers from AI losses.
U.S. Southern States Chicken LQ Prices

Consumption
The forecast for broiler consumption was raised to 70 million tons. Growth in major broiler consumer nations, such as China, European Union, and Brazil, are expected to be strong in 2008.

China is up 1.1 million tons to 12.7 million tons due to continued high pork prices spurring demand for broiler meat.


European Union is raised nearly 300,000 tons to 8.2 million tons. Despite higher prices, domestic demand continues to be strong as broiler meat is still the lower cost protein option.


Brazil is up 230,000 tons to 7.7 million tons as consumer’s real incomes continue to rise with a healthy growing economy expected in 2008.
Exports
Broiler exports are revised up nearly 500,000 tons to 7.7 million tons. Growth in the United States and Brazil is strong while the European Union is expected to decline in 2008.

United States is up nearly 200,000 tons to 2.7 million due to the favorable exchange rates. Chinese and Russian pace of imports from the US is expected to continue strong. U.S. chicken leg quarter prices averaged $904 per ton in March, up over $28 from February. Foreign demand for leg quarters has kept prices strong.


Brazil is boosted 115,000 tons to a record 3.2 million. Year-to-year export growth is modest compared to past years (except for the decline in 2006). Brazil’s major destinations in 2007 were the EU, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Hong Kong and United Arab Emirates (UAE). The UAE is the fifth newest market, having displaced Russia in 2007, and imported 195,000 tons, up 48,000 tons over the previous year. So far in 2008, export growth is strongest to Saudi Arabia and the UAE.


European Union is down 80,000 tons to 620,000 as the Europeans are becoming less competitive due to the rising euro. Exports were down last year to major markets such as Russia and Ukraine. The European Union is expected to be a net importer in 2008, with Brazil as the major supplier.
U.S. Southern States Chicken LQ Prices

Imports
Broiler imports are forecast at 7.2 million tons. Imports to major markets Russia, European Union, China, Saudi Arabia, are increased for 2008 as demand continues strong.

Russia is up 60,000 tons to 1.2 million tons due to continued shortage of supplies in red meats and favorable broiler prices. Consumer demand continues to expand because of growing incomes. Imports are still somewhat constrained by the government policies to encourage domestic production.


European Union is boosted by 100,000 tons to 650,000 tons, the highest since 1999 when the EU-27 was formed, based on pace of shipments from Brazil and higher domestic prices. Despite the lower TRQ for salted poultry in 2008, European Union imports are expected to surpass the quota because it continues to be profitable.


China is raised 40,000 tons to 600,000 tons because of strong consumer demand, an appreciating Renminbi, and higher domestic prices. Nearly 70 percent of this market is supplied by the United States, the rest comes from Brazil.


Saudi Arabia is boosted 40,000 tons to 490,000 tons based on strong shipments from Brazil. Over 80 percent of its imports are supplied by Brazil, the rest comes from the European Union. Also, recent reports indicate that the government will be cutting import tariffs for frozen poultry from 20 to 5 percent to help control food price inflation.
Further Reading

[mikey]

Friday, June 06, 2008Print This Page
“Talking Turkey” on Facebook
US - Washington, D.C. - To mark June as Turkey Lovers’ Month®, the National Turkey Federation is giving Facebook users a chance to “talk turkey.”


The federation chose to focus the concept on Facebook, to reach a younger audience that is talking with their peers through this social networking community. Campaign participants will add a “turkey voki” – a small, talking cartoon turkey – to their profile areas and share it with their friends across Facebook.
The talking turkey voki has the right elements to spread the National Turkey Federation’s message virally. The talking turkey delivers a humorous, customizable message. It wears a t-shirt that says “Shake Your Tail Feather” and includes the www.eatturkey.com URL. The voki also says, “Do I make you hungry? Happy Turkey Month!” Users can customize the talking turkey’s clothes and choose to load up their own voice to the turkey voki with their phone or computer. The voki platform allows users to send the talking turkey to friends, or post it on a social network profile area or a blog.

The campaign aims to raise awareness among younger consumers that June is Turkey Lovers’ Month®. The talking turkey character will also inform them about www.eatturkey.com, a Web site where they can learn more about the benefits of eating turkey and turkey products.

“Our goal is to get Facebook and voki users thinking and talking turkey, by placing the talking turkey on their profile page,” said Sherrie Rosenblatt, NTF’s vice president of marketing and communications, “We believe this culturally relevant message will resonate with the target audience and inspire them to pass the ‘turkey voki’ along to their friends.”

The tested message, “Shake Your Tail Feather,” was an almost-unanimous choice among the younger audience.

Participants said they chose the phrase because it made them want to get up and dance.

Facebook users can find the talking turkey in the Voki Voice Avatars application. The turkey voki is also available at www.voki.comand on www.eatturkey.com for download.

[mikey]

Friday, June 06, 2008Print This Page
Clean Water Essential to Avoid Serious Diseases
CANADA - Since contaminated water can transmit serious diseases to birds, poultry owners should always provide good quality water for their flocks.

 

“We know that avian influenza can be spread through water that wild ducks have been on,” says Gerald Hauer, assistant chief provincial veterinarian. “Most people know to keep their poultry away from dugouts and ponds, but we want to remind them to treat that water before they let their birds drink it.”

To determine whether water needs treatment, first consider the source. If the water is from a well or municipal source, the risk of introducing diseases is minimal. If using surface water, such as from dugouts or ponds, the risk is much higher.

Though there are several ways to treat water; chlorination is the most common and inexpensive. A concentration of two to five parts per million will kill most viruses, including avian influenza. Here are some formulas for mixing chlorine with water:

For a bulk tank, add 45 mL of household bleach (five-per-cent chlorine) to 455 litres of water. This is equivalent to adding 1.6 fluid ounces of five-per-cent bleach to 100 imperial gallons.
People treating water by the bucket can add 2.5 mL to 22.5 litres of wate (half a teaspoon to a five-gallon pail).
If using an automatic water treatment system, be sure to set it to deliver the proper amount of chlorine.
Always let the water sit for 10 minutes with the chlorine added before giving it to the birds, (this is how long it might take for the chlorine to kill viruses present in the water).
 Sometimes water contains impurities that can affect the chlorine’s ability to kill viruses. For example, soil particles, organic material, ammonia and minerals can make chlorine ineffective. If there are high levels of any impurities, consult with a water quality specialist on ways to get around this problem.

Poultry owners should be aware that changing watering practices can have unintended effects on flocks. “You want to pay attention to your birds’ consumption whenever you make a change in their water,” Hauer says. “You need to make sure they are drinking enough.”

Also, even a small amount of chlorine can kill modified live virus vaccine added to the water. If vaccinating birds through the water, use clean water with no chlorine.

The cardinal rule for birds is to keep them away from dirty water.

“Never let poultry drink untreated water from a pond, dugout or anywhere else that wild birds have access to,” Hauer adds. “That is just basic biosecurity and it keeps all of Alberta’s livestock safe and healthy.”

[mikey]

Spanish Poultry Sector Needs to Make Changes
Spain is planning a radical shake-up of its poultry sector, according to Pablo Bernardos Hernàndez, head of poultry within the Spanish ministry for the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, writes ThePoultrySite Editor, Jackie Linden.


Speaking at Agra Informa's World Poultry 2008 conference in London, Mr Hernández stated that Spain is a newcomer to international markets compared to other European Union (EU) countries.

Comparing resource costs, he said that feed is more expensive in Spain than its main EU competitors; France, Germany and the UK. He reported that feed prices in the USA are some 50% lower than in Spain.

Spanish consumers regard poultry meat as a cheap protein source and show a strong preference for fresh chicken over frozen. Poultry companies there are now looking to launch new fresh and frozen products as a means of adding value and making them more attractive on international markets. Mr Hernández mentioned that Spanish producers must first overcome certain health and commercial barriers, made more difficult by the high overall cost of production in Spain. He expressed the hope that local producers would benefit from the outcome of the Doha round of World Health Order talks.

There are 7,200 registered farms in Spain producing broiler chickens and of these, 5642 produce broilers. The great majority - 77 per cent - are intensively reared and most flocks are between 20,000 and 40,000 birds. It is not a popular enterprise among younger farmers.


Ninety per cent of broilers are reared under contract to integrators. In 2006, the largest integrator was a Grupo Sada with a 24.3 per cent share of the market, followed by Coren (6.0 per cent). The top 10 companies account for 57 per cent of the total market in Spain. More than 90 per cent of production comes from members of the producers' organisation, Propollo.


Spain's level of self-sufficiency in poultry meat has been steady over recent years and in 2007, it was 94.3 per cent. Average domestic consumption of poultry meat in Spain is 19.7kg per person per year. In 1990, around 55 per cent of poultry was sold through specialist butchers but the importance of this retail route has declined and they now account for less than 40 per cent of sales, overtaken by supermarkets with a 45 per cent share. Hypermarkets account for about 10 per cent of poultry meat purchases.

In 2007, Spain produced 1.375 million tonnes of poultry meat, which is around one-fifth of the nation's total meat output. This was some 10% below the average for the previous decade.

Mr Hernández concluded that in the near future, Spanish producers must find ways to reduce costs and broaden the product range. The relatively low energy costs and popularity of poultry among Spain's considerable number of foreign tourists offer the industry healthy advantages for future growth.

May 2008

[mikey]

Saturday, June 07, 2008Print This Page
H5N1 found in Hong Kong Market
HONG KONG - Hong Kong health authorities closed down a poultry market here Saturday after excrement samples collected from hencoops at the marketplace were confirmed infected with the deadly strain of H5N1 avian influenza virus, writes Du Guodong, Xinhua.

Dr. York Chow, Secretary for Food and Health, announced at a press conference here Saturday afternoon that the Po On Road Market in Kowloon an infected area of the H5N1 virus and ordered the immediate suspension of trading in the market.

Chow said after days of laboratory testings, five of the 20 excrement samples collected from three poultry stores on June 3 were confirmed H5N1 positive and an order was issued immediately to cull about 2,700 chickens in the market.

"We are still investigating the source of the H5N1 virus infections," he said, adding other 64 poultry markets had reported no H5N1 cases.

Chow said there has been no report of human case of H5N1 infections but the department had decided to raise the response level from "vigilance" to "serious" in the city.

In response to the latest H5N1 virus find, Chow said, the Food and Health Department had suspended immediately the live poultry imports from the Chinese mainland and trading from local chicken farms will be suspended immediately

He said such suspension will last for as long as 21 days if necessary.

Chow said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government had noticed the Ministry of Agriculture and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine on the latest development of bird flu in Hong Kong.

Chow said there had been no unusual incidents reported in the registered chicken farm in the Chinese mainland and none abnormal death of poultry had been reported by store owners during the past days.

Thomas Tsang, Controller of the Center for Health Protection, said the center would conduct health checkups and prescribe anti- virus medicine for those people in close contact with live poultry.

Tsang also called on doctors in the city to quickly report suspected cases of H5N1 infection to the center once they diagnose those patients with a fever.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said they would strengthen the testing of live poultry on the bird flu virus and disinfecting of poultry whole sale markets.

[mikey]

Monday, June 09, 2008Print This Page
Focus on Feed Costs at Cobb Conference in Greece
GREECE - More than 200 poultry farmers and technical advisers representing over 70 per cent of the Greek and Cypriot broiler industries attended a conference on breeder management at Ioannina in northern Greece.

 

The event was organised by Kego SA with support from Cobb Europe and Cobb Germany. Rodolfos Gogorosis, managing director of Kego, highlighted the need, with current rising commodity prices, to control feed inputs and their cost while maximising egg and meat production. "This is something of course that the Cobb 500 excels at," he commented.

 
Dr George Kefalas, giving his presentation
James Truscott, director of Cobb Germany, stated: "It's been a real pleasure to see how our customers interacted with the professional speakers from Kego, Cobb Europe and Cobb Germany.

"The Greek chicken meat industry discussed how to further improve its performance with the Cobb 500, which is gaining market share not only in Greece but in our other market areas too. Cobb's new male is showing its benefits not just as a breeder, but also on broiler farms and in processing plants.

"My sincere thanks to the team at Kego - veterinarians Dr Ilias Alexiou, Dr George Kefalas and their technical director Dr Sotiris Papasolomontos - who've worked hard to ensure the Cobb 500 is becoming the most popular breed in Greece again".

The speakers, who also included Patrick van Trijp, technical manger of Cobb Europe, and Dr Matthias Todte, international veterinary consultant, covered a range of topics including breed selection and management in a fast changing environment for the Cobb 500 male and female, and European experiences generally on Salmonella control in broiler breeders.

Two separate technical workshops were targeted at the veterinary and husbandry support staff of the Ioannina Cooperative, Nitsiakos Theodoros AVEE and Ilias Siopis & Son, who between them account for some 60 per cent of broiler breeders in Greece. These were exceptionally well supported, with discussions covering many aspects of broiler breeder production and management at a detailed technical level.

This was the 7th major poultry conference that Kego have organised in the last 10 years in Greece and they are already planning for the 8th.

[mikey]

Tuesday, June 10, 2008Print This Page
Constructing an Egg that Fights Cancer
US - Imagine the chicken and eggs you eat could be cancer-fighting food. Researchers at Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center say they could be on their way to doing that. Here's the best part - they're only using a natural plant extract, and a little time.



If chickens are to be what we eat to help battle cancer, it may all start with what they eat. Researchers at Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center say mixing chicken feed with a substance found in cotton could help turn chickens, and their eggs, into potent cancer-fighting foods. The natural substance is called gossyp.
"In experimental systems, and I want to emphasize that, it has been shown to slow cancer growth. In some model systems, it prevents the spread of cancer," says Michael Caliguiri, MD, at Ohio State University's James Cancer Hospital.

In fact, by putting gossypol directly onto human breast cancer tissue in the lab, Dr. Young C. Lin at Ohio State University's Comprehensive Cancer Center found that it could slow the rate of cancer growth as much as 94%.* To get that substance into humans slowly and safely, Lin proposes using chickens. If they eat the gossypol, and we eat them, his theory goes that our bodies will absorb all those cancer-fighting nutrients.

That could someday offer hope to people like Tomasina Wall. Her mother, sister and aunt all battled breast cancer. Between her diet and exercise routine, she's constantly working to prevent it.

"Every day I struggle with trying to do all of the right things because there are so many things that all of us should be doing to maintain our state of health," says Wall.

That's why something as easy as eating chicken or eggs to help control cancer is so appealing. So far, all of Lin's tests with gossypol have only been done in the lab. While researchers are cautious not to overstate the results, they can't help but see the possibilities.

"You can take a tumor and put it in a test tube, sprinkle the substance on it and see inhibition of growth. That doesn't mean it will do the same in the body, but it's the first step," says Caliguiri.

Gossypol is actually taken from the oil of cotton seeds and is so potent it has been patented as a drug for treating cancer. This study, however, would be among the first to use it as a food component to help battle cancer. No word yet on if or when human trials might begin.

[mikey]

Tuesday, June 10, 2008Print This Page
Canada Keeps an Eye on Avian Flu
CANADA - The Government of Canada has said that it is committed to protecting the health of Canada’s domestic poultry flocks from avian influenza (AI) viruses. To uphold this claim the government is enhancing its AI surveillance for commercial poultry flocks in Canada.



This program is one of a number of domestic and international initiatives that have been implemented to prevent, detect and eliminate the presence of harmful AI viruses in Canada's domestic poultry flock. The expanded program was developed in collaboration with provincial and territorial governments, poultry farmers and other industry representatives.

The enhanced Canadian Notifiable Avian Influenza Surveillance System (CanNAISS) has been designed to meet current guidelines from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) and new requirements from the European Union that take effect in January 2009. The system will provide information about NAI viruses in Canada’s domestic poultry flocks that will be required for Canadian poultry farmers and processors to continue doing business internationally.

While most AI viruses pose little or no animal health risk, two subtypes, known as H5 and H7, may lead to serious illness in birds. CanNAISS testing will identify poultry farms where these viruses may be present and enable the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and farmers to control potential disease spread

[mikey]

06/11/08 14:18

Tens of chickens die of bird flu virus in Sarolangun


Jambi, (ANTARA News) - Bird flu (Avian Influenza) killed tens of chickens in Sarolangun District, Jambi Province, recently, according to a local official.

An investigation conducted by a local animal health team had shown the chickens had died of AI. The virus had apparently entered Jambi from the neighboring provinces of West and South Sumatra, the head of the Sarolangun Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Service, Ahmad Surya, said here on Wednesday.

Sarolangun District is a region through which the trans-Sumatra highway passes and shares borders with South and West Sumatra provinces where the deadly disease is rampant, he said.

The local authorities had intensified efforts to curb the communicable disease by supervising trading of poultry, conducting disinfectant spraying, and animal vaccination.(*)

[mikey]

Friday, June 13, 2008Print This Page
Corn Prices Could Make Chicken More Expensive
JAMAICA - Already having to cope with rising food prices, consumers are warned that the cost of chicken could go up again.



This bad news follows a record surge worldwide in the price of corn used in animal feeds, reports Radio Jamaica. Bad weather in the USA and growing global demand for corn for animal feed and biofuels have been blamed for the spiralling cost.

The country's two leading poultry producers - Jamaica Broilers and Caribbean Broilers - are not only predicting further increases in the price of feed but are warning it will affect their operations.

[mikey]

Friday, June 13, 2008Print This Page
Chicken Prices Fly High in Malaysia
MALAYSIA - Chicken sellers have increased their prices despite a 60 sen per kilo drop in ex-farm prices, says Federation of Livestock Farmers Association of Malaysia (FLFAM).



According to the Star Online the association's broiler unit chairman Kwei Yew Tong said that the increase was justifiable considering the recent hike in fuel prices.

Kwei said that as of yesterday ex-farm prices stood at RM4 per kilo but added he had read reports that the market price had risen to RM7 per kilo in several places.

“The ex-farm price has gone down because it is dependent on supply and demand, and currently, the demand has slumped.

“Chicken sellers have had to increase their prices to offset costs in transportation and other expenses. This is in addition to the drop in sales too,” he told the Star.

Asked whether there were complaints of losses, Kwei confirmed that many were forced to close shop because they could not cope with basic costs.

[mikey]

Chicken Sellers May Quit
CHINA - Poultry traders have said they are considering getting a one-off compensation from the government and quitting the business for good.



China Daily reports that the traders also hinted at a protest during the Olympics if the government did not meet their demand for compensation soon enough.

The Panel on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene held a special meeting at the Legislative Council on 16 June to discuss the discovery of H5N1 bird flu virus at wet markets last week.

At the meeting, chairman of the Hong Kong Poultry Wholesalers and Retailers Association Steven Wong Wai-chuen said "Everyone in the trade will quit" if the government insists on implementing daily cleansing at markets as they simply cannot bear the loss that the policy will incur.

Although there are still chickens available at local farms, he noted that the chickens will be 'worthless' without the retailers.

"If we [the retailers] quit, the farms will be forced to close down as well," he said.

"The sooner the government gives us the compensation, the sooner we will return the retail licenses and quit," he said, citing he did not want the issue to drag on.

Meanwhile, he hinted that they may protest during the Olympic equestrian events if the issue is still not settled then.

The retailers are asking for a compensation eight times the compensation currently given to vendors who voluntarily surrender their licences.

At the same meeting, representatives of the poultry industry said they have been struggling financially since the sale of live chickens was suspended last Wednesday.

They asked the government to think of a long-term policy for the survival of the trade.

Meanwhile, legislators asked the government to consider giving a one-off compensation to the trade.

Secretary for Food and Health York Chow maintained that daily cleansing, and eventually central slaughtering, are the most effective ways of controlling bird flu in Hong Kong.

"We understand the loss that these measures may incur, but if we don't make changes to the current operation, an outbreak is inevitable," he said.

"Another chicken-culling will be a great blow to the trade and society. We have to consider legislating for daily cleaning," he added.

Mr Chow noted that if the vendors insist on rejecting the daily cleansing policy, the government will consider giving them compensation to end their businesses.

Meantime, he said chickens in local farms may have to be culled since all wet markets have been declared infected areas.

The government is expected to reach a decision this week, he said.

[mikey]

North Korea in Denial Over Bird Flu
NORTH KOREA - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Thursday denied allegations of a bird flu outbreak in the country.



Official news agency KCNA rebuffed an Associated Press (AP) report that various types of fowl and a boy had died of bird flu, accusing AP of fabricating the epidemic situation to ruin the country's international image.

The DPRK has set up a state emergency anti-epizootic committee as a national command to combat bird flu, while maintaining close contact with several international organizations including the FAO(UN Food and Agriculture Organization) and the World Organization for Animal Health, KCNA said.

There is a well-organized anti-epizootic system in the DPRK, the agency said, adding that more than 1,600 watch posts along the east and west coasts are surveying the movement of seasonal birds, major carriers of the bird flu virus.

About 200,000 farm birds were culled when bird flu broke out in the country in March 2005.