Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 14) — There has been little progress in the culling of birds affected by the avian influenza outbreak in San Luis, Pampanga, with workers backing out over fear of infection.
Less than 10 percent of the 200,000 birds estimated to be infected by the virus have been exterminated as of Monday, when the government had expected culling to have ended, Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol said.
Only 18,685 birds have been culled, and only four of 17 farms hit by the virus have been disinfected, Piñol said in a news briefing.
The Department of Agriculture now expects to finish culling operations by Thursday, almost a week after the outbreak was announced.
Misinformation on virus
Manpower has been the biggest problem for the culling operations. “It was reported to me that after workers were briefed and immunized, some tried to run away,” Pinol said.
Only five workers were left of the 30 recruited for culling operations, said Arlene Vytiaco, who oversees disease control for the Bureau of Animal Industry. Many of them feared they would catch the virus or be forced to undergo quarantine.
“There is so much misinformation. If we had more people, we would make faster progress,” Vytiaco said.
Strict measures in place
Beyond the 200,000 birds to be exterminated, the movement of birds, chicks, eggs, poultry and other products has been severely restricted – not just in and around the province of Pampanga, but across Luzon.
Piñol admitted there has been strong resistance from farmers, who have had to give up their livestock.
They will likely have to wait another three months before they can start populating their farms again.
After the culling, there will be a 21-day rest period before they can bring in a new batch of birds. These will be raised for 35 days and subjected to various tests to see if they exhibit symptoms of the avian flu. If they pass the tests and are free from the virus, only then can they be harvested and bred.
The agriculture chief, however, shrugged off the opposition, saying he will not risk a contagion.
“Halimbawa lumabas ito ng Luzon… hindi ko na kayang pigilan yan. Kapag kumalat ito ng Visayas and Mindanao dahil sa kapabayaan ko, magre-resign ako,” Pinol said.
[Translation: If this spreads outside of Luzon, for example… I will not be able to stop it anymore. If it spreads to Visayas and Mindanao because of my negligence, I will resign.]
Assistance to farmers
Meanwhile, farmers sought the help of the DA, claiming it wasn’t just culling their birds, it was also killing their businesses.
The government said it will allot P50 million to get farmers back on their feet again. Farmers will receive P80 for every bird they’ve lost to the culling. They will also get a P5,000 grant and are entitled to a P20,000 low-interest, no-collateral loan, payable over two years.
A biosecurity team will also be created under the DA. It will check that all farms handling livestock conform to basic safety practices, like foot baths and truck tire baths to prevent the spread of diseases.
