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Indonesia Bans Backyard Poultry Farming to Break Bird Flu chain


Tuesday January 16, 2007

Barely two weeks into the new year and Indonesia already reported four more deaths from the bird flu, bringing Indonesia’s total to 61 fatalities, the highest in the world. The four cases occurred in Jakarta and Bandung, after contact with infected poultry.

A limited emergency cabinet meeting was called, in which the government decided that the main cause for the most recent re-emergence of the bird flu was the uncontrolled backyard poultry farms, that did not apply strict standards of hygiene and health of cages and poultry. Chicken, ducks, geese and doves were allowed to wander freely in densely populated areas, endangering public health.

Local bylaws are to be issued immediately to ban backyard poultry farming for non-commercial purposes reared near residential sites. Farms with less than 20 poultry must be destroyed, for which the government will provide compensation to the amount of
Rp. 12,500 for every chicken or duck culled. While commercial farms with over 20 poultry must strictly adhere to health and hygiene regulations. This regulation to be valid for a period of at least six months, and must be applied immediately in the adjacent provinces of Jakarta, Banten and West Java, where the casualties occurred.     

"This is already ... a situation of health emergency”, said Coordinating Minister for Public Welfare, Aburizal Bakrie to the press “and we hope that the protection of humans will be much better if birds and humans are separated,"
"In principle, there should be no birds in residential areas," Health Minister, Fadillah Supari,  said, adding that regulations banning backyard poultry will be introduced in the three worst-hit regions of Jakarta, Banten and West Java, reports Antara.
"It has always been our advice to the government to separate birds and humans said World Health Organization representative Georg Petersen welcoming the move. "It is important to reduce contact between birds and people and restrict the raising of chicken in highly-populated areas," he told Agence France-Presse. “In principle this is a very good move," he said.
Questioned on Television why the government had been slow to prevent the new bird flu outbreak, Minister for Agriculture, Anton Apriyantono defended the national government, saying that clear warnings and instructions had been given to provincial governments in November last year to separate poultry from populated areas. Local governments were also warned that the onset of the rainy season would increase the chance of the re-emergence of the H5N1 virus. But, following Regional Autonomy, actions should be taken by local governments. The National government is no longer in a position to directly enforce these regulations, as authority had been devolved to local governments.

Meanwhile in Jakarta, Governor Sutiyoso urged Jakarta’s population to voluntarily cull backyard poultry to stop the spread of the avian flu virus, while awaiting the issuance of official provincial regulations. 

Meantime also, more hospitals are prepared to treat more bird flu patients or those suspected to be infected, since the Persahabatan Hospital has already indicated that it was getting over its capacity. The other hospital readied to receive patients is the Gatot Subroto army hospital in Central Jakarta.