Indonesia - Fowl Traders Blame Malaysian Eggs For Bird Flu Outbreak
Published:July 20, 2005
Source :Bernama.com
The Indonesian government has yet to find the source of the bird flu outbreak in the country but suddenly, a fowl traders association is blaming it on hatching eggs smuggled from Malaysia.
The Federation of North Sumatra Fowl Associations (Gapsu) claimed that the outbreak was caused by the distribution of hatching eggs smuggled from Malaysia besides the entry of chicken from areas already infected with the virus, like Java and Thailand.
"From Aug 23 2004 the Indonesian government has banned the import of fowl products from Malaysia but to date, their hatching eggs can still be found in North Sumatra," said Gapsu secretary-general Djoko Sugiarto.
He was quoted by the Kompas daily in Medan today as saying that Gapsu had reported the matter to the Veterinary Services Department in Medan, including about hatching eggs from Malaysia used by a breeding company in North Sumatra.
The daily also quoted a local Veterinary Services Department officer as saying that the bird flu outbreak in North Sumatra might have been caused by a fighting cock smuggled from Thailand.
"We have identified the owner of the fighting cock and he has admitted to smuggling it from Thailand," he said.
The Media Indonesia press, meanwhile, reported that four sea ports in Batam, namely Sekupang, Batuampar, Telaga Punggar and Pusat Batam, were placed under strict surveillance to prevent the entry of items that could carry the bird flu virus including chicken eggs and dressed chicken.
In Jakarta, Indonesian Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari said the government had not been able to determine the source of the bird flu virus which was suspected to have claimed one life in Tangerang.
She said the virus could have been brought by migratory birds in their sojourn from the northern hemisphere to Australia.
Media Indonesia also reported that about 383,000 chickens had died of bird flu in south Sulawesi since March.
Muhammad Kafil, Bird Flu Prevention Coordinator with the South Sulawesi Veterinary Services Department in Ujung Pandang, was quoted as saying that the virus could have been spread through chicken excrement fertilizer which was widely used by farmers.
