At the seventh meeting of the Executive Yuan avian influenza response center today, Vice Premier Chang San-cheng instructed officials to continue making plans on helping farmers resume poultry production and rebuild facilities. Central agencies should also communicate these plans to local governments and the industries at the appropriate time.
The number of infections has slowed down thanks in part to officials who worked throughout the Lunar New Year holiday to implement control measures, said the vice premier. The first round of duck farm testing within 1 kilometer of infected sites has also been completed. However, it is essential to stay on high alert and take further precautionary measures.
The Council of Agriculture (COA) briefed the meeting on the status of the epidemic and outlined its production recovery plans, including short-, medium- and long-term assistance to restore poultry supply while raising the competitiveness of Taiwan's poultry industry.
The COA said the bird flu has wreaked havoc on waterfowl farms, with over 90 percent of geese infected and culled. To help these farms resume operation quickly, a technical service team is to offer guidance and consultancy and hold public meetings to explain specific feeding and breeding techniques for each region.
One basic requirement in the future will be better biosecurity measures such as enclosing pen houses to keep domestic fowl from mingling with wild birds, or covering the pens to prevent infection via migratory bird droppings.
To establish the poultry breeding supply chain, the COA will help farmers import quality breeds, improve hatching equipment, and set up isolated quarantine spaces. After studying success cases from Taiwan and other countries, the COA will also offer farmers different options in poultry pens ranging from high-end to basic models. If farms require financial assistance, the COA's Bureau of Agricultural Finance can help them apply for low-interest loans at agricultural banks.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) has been working with local health officials to monitor the health of people involved in culling operations. Of the 889 being monitored (including 159 military personnel), six have shown flu symptoms. A total of 5,973 have already been removed from the monitoring list.
The Ministry of National Defense will continue to follow MOHW guidelines on monitoring personnel who helped disinfect poultry farms and transport carcasses. As of 6 p.m. February 23, all military personnel involved in such support operations reported normal health.