Dutch egg probe widens to chicken meat tests

Yahoo – AFP, Charlotte van Ouwerkerk and Jan Hennop, August 8, 2017

"Chickens have feelings too": Dutch animal activists wave banners and placards
as they stage a protest at a poultry farm in Witteveen (AFP Photo/Erik Brinkhorst)

The Hague (AFP) - In a new twist in Europe's tainted egg scandal, Dutch authorities announced Tuesday they had started testing chicken meat coming from affected poultry farms to determine whether it was also contaminated.

Scientists are looking for the presence of the insecticide fipronil, a substance potentially dangerous to humans, after supermarkets in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden and Switzerland pulled millions of eggs from the shelves.

"We are currently testing chicken meat in the poultry farms where eggs were infected to determine whether the meat is contaminated as well," Tjitte Mastenbroek, spokesman for food security agency NVWA, told AFP.

The probe focuses on "a few dozen" farms that produce both eggs and chicken meat, NVWA said.

Meanwhile, the Dutch Safety Board, the country's agency looking into civilian safety issues, announced it was opening its own probe into why fipronil was not detected earlier in eggs as well as "the role in this of the poultry sector and Dutch government."

"The way consumers have been informed about the risks of fipronil are also being investigated," the Hague-based OVV said in a statement.

Millions of chickens now face being culled in the Netherlands as the scandal widens across Europe.

Hard-hit Germany on Tuesday called on Belgian and Dutch authorities to quickly shed light on what it termed a "criminal network" involved in the contamination of eggs with fipronil.

"When one sees a criminal energy that's almost organised as a network it's unacceptable," said German Agriculture Minister Christian Schmidt.

He again criticised Belgian and Dutch authorities' tardy response to the crisis.

Belgium's top agricultural official Monday ordered the country's food safety agency to report within a day why it failed to notify neighbouring countries until July 20 despite knowing about fipronil contamination since June.

"It's not in the spirit of the early warning system to be aware in June but only to inform us by the end of July," Schmidt said.

Mastenbroek told AFP that a criminal probe by the NVWA under Dutch prosecution authorities and assisted by Belgium is continuing, looking at the role of companies in contaminating Dutch poultry farms with fipronil.

Meanwhile, the French government said Monday "thirteen batches of contaminated eggs from The Netherlands" were delivered in July to food processing companies located in central-western France.

First egg, now chicken

Mastenbroek said so far her agency's "highest priority" has been the detection of contaminated eggs.

"But now we also have the time to look at meat as a precautionary measure," she said.

Most farms exclusively produce one or the other, said Eric Hubers at LTO, a Dutch farming organisation.

If the meat tests are negative for fipronil, producers will be cleared to resume sales, Mastenbroek said.

LTO said the probability of chicken meat found to be infected was small.

However, if fipronil was detected "farming will be completely suspended," Mastenbroek said.

'Cutting costs'

The contaminated egg scandal erupted last week when up to 180 Dutch farms were shuttered due to the presence of fipronil discovered in some of the eggs.

It is believed the toxic substance was introduced to poultry farms by a Dutch business named Chickfriend brought in to treat red lice, a parasite in chickens.

Dutch and Belgian media reports that the substance containing the insecticide was supplied to Chickfriend -- a small company operating out of the Dutch poultry heartland in the central town of Barneveld -- by a Belgian firm have not been confirmed.

Currently Dutch authorities have closed down 138 poultry farms -- about a fifth of those across the country -- and warned that eggs from another 59 farms contained enough levels of fipronil that they should not be eaten by children.

Belgium has blocked production from 51 farms -- a quarter of those nationwide -- with fipronil found at 21 farms, although levels were ten times below the maximum EU limit, the country's food and safety authority AFSCA said.

Other European countries including Austria, Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal and Romania said they were analysing imported eggs, but so far no contaminated eggs were found.

Enviromental group Greenpeace on Tuesday called for massive reforms in the food supply system to become safer, healthier and more transparent and to do away with so-called "factory farming".

"Factory farming has been at the centre of a number of scandals, from Mad cow (disease) to bird flu, from swine flu to horsemeat," said Davin Hutchins, Greenpeace senior food campaigner.

"These are symptoms of a system trying to cut costs at every corner to maximise profits at the expense of public health and the environment," he said.

Dutch tainted egg probe widens to chicken meat tests https://t.co/8KmjKk8eUs #fipronil pic.twitter.com/RaJ3gTXcFU

— AFP news agency (@AFP) August 8, 2017

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Two men arrested in egg scandal following raids in Belgium and NL

Two arrested in Europe as egg scandal spreads east https://t.co/nadjXS4JWM pic.twitter.com/YMTjnlWoy2

— AFP news agency (@AFP) August 10, 2017

Mozart-Loving Chickens May Answer Quest for Healthier Nugget

Jakarta Globe, Naveen Thukral & Gavin Maguire, May 17, 2015

Chickens bred with drug-free feed rest in their coop as lights are dimmed and
 classical music by Mozart is being played in the background at Kee Song Brothers'
 drug-free poultry farm in Yong Peng, in Malaysia's southern state of Johor
April 16, 2015. (Reuters Photo/Edgar Su)

Yong Peng, Malaysia. In barns filled with classical music and lighting that changes to match the hues outside, rows of chickens are fed a diet rich in probiotics, a regimen designed to remove the need for the drugs and chemicals that have tainted the global food chain.

As food giants face growing pressure to offer healthier produce, Southeast Asian poultry firm Kee Song Group says its use of “good” bacteria in feed and water means it can meet one the industry’s biggest challenges: how to mass produce drug and hormone-free poultry at a reasonable price.

A series of scandals in the last few years —from melamine-tainted milk powder in China, horse meat supplied as beef in Europe and growth drugs causing lameness in US cattle — has triggered a consumer backlash over food standards and safety.

Recently, Tyson Foods pledged to eliminate the use of human antibiotics in chicken by 2017, one of the most aggressive timetables yet by a US poultry firm.

The top American poultry producer, which supplies fast-food chains such as McDonald’s, is among a number of groups globally incorporating probiotics into feed.

“For meat producers, reputation risks are becoming stronger driving companies to focus on safe ingredients specially in Europe and the United States,” said Pawan Kumar, director for food and agricultural research at Rabobank in Singapore.

Kee Song says the cost to produce drug-free chickens using probiotics is now only 10-12 percent more than using antibiotic-fed poultry. It sells these birds at a 30 percent premium in stores, far less than expensive free-range organic chicken.

The firm annually produces around 4 million drug-free birds at its Malaysian farms in Yong Peng, 125 km north-west of Singapore, and aims to expand sales to China and the West.

“Probiotics, either alone or in combination with essential oils and organic acids, are at the forefront of international approaches to replace antibiotics,” said Wayne Bryden, Professor of Animal Science at the University of Queensland.

Probiotics populate the gut with healthy bacteria in a bid to curb bad bacteria, while oils and organic acids are also often included in feed to aid digestion.

A team at the Australian university, partly funded by feed maker Ridley AgriProducts, have found in preliminary trials that using a probiotic can double the efficiency of use of protein from feed to boost weigh gain in livestock.

Superbugs

An estimated 80 percent of antibiotics used in the United States are administered to livestock with the use expected to surge by two thirds globally between 2010 and 2030.

Scientists are worried the practice could spur antibiotic-resistant superbugs.

McDonald’s has also pledged to eliminate chickens fed on human antibiotics at its US restaurants and is looking at similar steps in Asia.

“In Asia Pacific, we will be working with our supply partners and relevant experts to implement this enhanced measure,” a company spokesperson said via email.

While demand for healthier products is increasing fast in the West, some experts say that in parts of Asia customers will not be prepared to pay more for drug-free poultry, though China could be a promising market after high-profile food scares.

Mozart and blue lighting

In Kee Song’s Malaysian poultry farm, 20,000 chickens rest on saw dust in the dimly lit barns, with feed and water laced with probiotics being automatically pumped into feeding pans.

As well as playing Mozart, lighting is used in a bid to keep the birds tranquil with neon blue lighting turned on when the birds are taken for slaughter.

“Look at the environment, chickens stay healthy and happy here,” the firm’s Chairman Ong Kee Song told Reuters.

“Even the droppings don’t smell,” added Ong, who has been a vegetarian for 17 years after a stay at a Buddhist temple.

Traditional chicken farms are notorious for producing noxious fumes as well as loud noise from squawking birds.

Growth hormones mixed with feed can also produce oversized breasts and wings that underdeveloped legs struggle to support for more than a few steps.

Chia Tet Fatt, a molecular geneticist who previously was a professor at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University teamed up with Kee Song to produce the probiotic used, lactobacillus, and confirmed chickens were not fed any drugs or antibiotics.

Tan Chee Kiang, vice president of Charoen Pokphand, the world’s biggest animal feed miller, also said the feed it supplied to Kee Song was free of antibiotics.

By not using drugs, the poultry farms need to maintain stringent cleanliness measures to avoid the risk of infection and it takes three days more than conventionally produced chickens to attain a commercially viable weight of 1.8 to 2.0 kg.

As well as supplying supermarkets, Kee Song also sells to some restaurants in Singapore, including French restaurant Cocotte, where the chicken is used for a signature dish.

Reuters

Criminal investigation begun into banned antibiotic in animal feed

DutchNews.nl, Friday 25 July 2014

Calves and pigs were given

contaminated feed. (NOS/ANP)

The public prosecution department has launched a criminal investigation into the use of a banned antibiotic in Dutch animal feed from a producer near Utrecht.

In a statement on Friday the department said business premises and a private house have been searched as part of the investigation.

Food safety inspectors have shut 102 Dutch pig and veal farms and 11 in Germany because they were delivered feed containing the antibiotic furazolidone, the Financieele Dagblad said earlier on Friday.

Carcenogenic

The feed came from a producer in Lopik which was closed down by inspectors two days ago. Furazolidone is banned in Europe and known to be carcenogenic.

Food safety inspectors are due to decide on Friday if all the animals on the farms should be destroyed, ANP says.

The new closures appear to be related to the finding of contaminated feed on five farms in Gelderland a month ago.

Health

At the time, inspectors said the meat from the farms would not be recalled because there was no immediate risk to public health. Meat from farms using the contaminated feed was sold in Belgium, France, Germany and Italy as well as in the Netherlands, Nos television says.

However, according to website Boederij.nl, nearly 2,500 calves on the farms were killed because of the contamination.

According to website Melkvee.nl, the feed producer blames the contamination on manure from racing pigeons which gather at his farm. However, experts have scoffed at this explanation, the FD says.

Related Article:

100 Dutch pig and veal farms shut after banned drug found in feed

Chicken factories inspected by FSA as Tesco reveals surprise spot check

Sources reveal measures being taken to clean up production, but company denies allegations of food safety failings

The Guardian, Felicity Lawrence and Andrew Wasley, 25 July 2014

Chicken offal piling up on an abattoir floor. Tesco auditors arrived unannounced

at dawn at the Llangefni plant in Wales. 

The chicken factories at the centre of revelations over food poisoning contamination were checked by Food Standards Agency inspectors on Friday, as sources reported that Tesco auditors had found failings during a surprise middle-of-the-night inspection at an abattoir in Wales.

This week's Guardian investigation prompted emergency reviews by three of the UK's leading supermarkets, and the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, intervened on Thursday to demand that the FSA investigate more thoroughly, just hours after the agency had said it was content that correct procedures had been followed.

Labour accused the government of presiding over a food scandal made possible because David Cameron had split responsibility for food policy between the FSA, the Department of Health, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and called on him to review the changes.

Undercover footage, photographic evidence and information from whistleblowers revealed how strict industry hygiene standards to prevent the contamination of chicken with the potentially deadly campylobacter bacterium can be flouted on the factory floor and in farms. Two-thirds of fresh chicken on sale in supermarkets is contaminated with the bug and 280,000 people a year are made sick by it.

Maria Eagle, the shadow environment secretary, said: "Chaotic changes have culminated in this bizarre situation where the health secretary has now demanded an urgent investigation the day the FSA said they were 'content' with the way the official vet at the chicken processing plant and the company had dealt with incidents.

"The prime minister should now admit he got this wrong and clarify the roles and responsibilities of each department."

The Guardian understands that Tesco auditors arrived unannounced at 4.30am last Friday at the Llangefni chicken processing site in Wales owned by the 2 Sisters group, after the Guardian had approached the retailer with a series of allegations about hygiene failings at this and another factory. The site supplies several leading supermarkets and fast food chains.

The alleged failings included repeated breakdowns that had led to feathers, guts and offal – high-risk material for the spread of campylobacter – piling up on the factory floor for hours while production continued. Sources also said water in scald tanks, through which birds pass before plucking, was not cleaned for three days. Whistleblowers and an undercover reporter said carcasses that had fallen on the floor at this site and another owned by the same company in Scunthorpe were sometimes recycled back on to the production line.

The company denied this, saying all carcasses from the floor were disposed of as waste. It also said it did not stop the slaughter line when the evisceration and defeathering blockages occurred because it had to consider the welfare of chickens waiting for slaughter. It said that the scald tank incident was isolated, had only lasted one day, and tests have confirmed that bacteria counts were acceptable.

Sainsbury's and Marks and Spencer confirmed they were customers of the Welsh factory and had carried out inspections, with M&S auditors arriving unannounced last Wednesday. The Guardian understands the Scunthorpe factory has also been audited by retailers, and government inspectors arrived there on Friday.

At crisis meetings on Thursday at the Welsh plant, sources told the Guardian, senior management described a list of measures being taken to clean up the factory and change the way it had been working. They said these included bringing in several extra cleaners, slowing down production lines, ensuring production stops more promptly at night so there is sufficient time for cleaning, and stopping slaughter when breakdowns occur.

A spokesman for 2 Sisters said: "All our customers carry out regular announced and unannounced visits as per normal business operations. No risks to food safety have been raised at any time.

"We work with our customers to continuously improve the quality and safety of our products. All our factories are constantly reviewed to ensure we improve procedures and processes. We are duty-bound to refine our systems and we will continue to do this at all our sites."

Tesco said it was still investigating. "We take all allegations of this nature seriously and we are conducting additional visits to our poultry suppliers. If any issues are identified that go against our strict standards, we will work with our suppliers to resolve them." M&S and Sainsbury's confirmed they had audited the Welsh factory and found no breaches affecting food safety. M&S said it would audit again soon, and Sainsbury's said it had raised a number of areas for improvement.

A government spokesperson said: "We do not accept that the current division of responsibilities between Defra, the Department of Health and the FSA undermines our ability to protect the public. It is normal for ministers to set policy and for others to enforce it – in this case the FSA."

Shanghai Husi exported expired chicken to Japan

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2014-07-23

An inspector with the Shanghai Municipal Food and Drug Administration
seals a Shanghai Husi Food computer, July 22. (Photo/Xinhua)

After revelations emerged on July 20 that Shanghai Husi Food had reprocessed expired meat to sell to fast food chains in China, the company has now been found to have exported re-processed expired chicken to Japan, reported our Chinese language sister newspaper China Times.

Fast food companies in Japan such as MacDonald's, KFC, and Starbucks have all been affected by the expired meat.

Radio and Television Shanghai reported that Shanghai Husi, the Chinese unit of the US OSI Group, mixed fresh chicken with expired chicken and successfully fooled the quality control department at McDonald's.

Husi closed its factory on July 20, and the Shanghai Municipal Food and Drug Administration seized all the meat therein.

According to the English-language Shanghai Daily, in addition to McDonald's, KFC, and Starbucks, other food chains in Japan like Burger King, Papa John's Pizza, Subway, and Pizza Hut imported meat products from Husi as well.

McDonald's Japan said that 20% of its chickens is imported from Husi. About 500 branches in Kanto region were affected and stopped selling chicken nuggets. McDonald's Japan is looking for a new source of chicken and will start selling chicken nuggets again no later than July 23.

McDonald's had originally been scheduled to hold a press conference on July 23 to launch new summer products, with singers from a popular singing competition show scheduled to attend, however, the press conference was cancelled on the evening of July 22.

Incidents of adulterated foods have rocked consumer confidence in China over the last couple of years. Earlier this year, the US retailer Walmart's supermarket in China was found to have used fox meat labelled as donkey meat. Walmart subsequently announced that it would strengthen its quality inspection on Chinese food suppliers. The Husi incident may have a similar effect in Japan.

Related Article:

McDonald's Japan halts sales of Chinese chicken after meat scandal
China arrests five in expired meat scandal

Husi meat scandal just the tip of the iceberg, says exec

China shuts meat factory supplying McDonald's, KFC

Albert Heijn's new chicken is not as 'responsible' as claimed

DutchNews.nl, Wednesday 16 July 2014

(NOS)

Chicken sold by Albert Heijn is not as ethical and animal friendly as the supermarket group is claiming, the Dutch advertising standards authority is quoted as saying by animal rights group Wakker Dier.

Wakker Dier took the issue to the authority after Albert Heijn began advertising its ‘responsible’ answer to factory farmed chicken - known as plofkip or 'exploding chicken' in popular Dutch.

The authority said the advertising round the launch of the Hollandse Kip – Dutch chicken - contained misleading information, Wakker Dier claims on its website.

The supermarket group says the birds are raised in a 100% responsible way in ‘good living conditions’. In fact the chickens live in groups of 19 in a single square metre – rather than the 21 in traditional factory farming - and never go outside.

In 2013, representatives of supermarkets, abattoirs and poultry farms agreed that from 2015, chickens reared for Dutch supermarkets will be of a slower-growing breed. They will be given 10% more space, six hours sleep instead of just four and have straw and grain to 'play' with.

McDonald's does use fast-reared chicken, says advertising body

DutchNews.nl, Tuesday 25 March 2014

Broiler chickens, called by Wakker

Dier thud chickens. (NOS/ANP)

McDonald's is wrong to say on its website that it no longer uses cheap, fast-bred broiler chickens, the advertising standards commission said on Tuesday.

Animal rights organisation Wakker Dier had complained to the commission that the fast-food chain answered an FAQ about whether it uses the chickens - known as plofkip - with 'No, McDonald's used chicken breasts from suppliers who take care of their chickens. McDonald's makes strict demands on its suppliers.'

The company also said that those strict demands ensure that the chickens have no physical problems.

However, the advertising code commission said that McDonald's does use chickens which are killed at six weeks old. The commission and Wakker Dier say these are cheap broilers.

McDonald's was unable to show that the chickens were treated in such a way that they would not qualify as broilers. Nor could it show that there were few physical problems.

The company has already removed the offending text from its website.

Related Article:

Kryon Q&A

Question: Dear Kryon: I live in Spain. I am sorry if I will ask you a question you might have already answered, but the translations of your books are very slow and I might not have gathered all information you have already given. I am quite concerned about abandoned animals. It seems that many people buy animals for their children and as soon as they grow, they set them out somewhere. Recently I had the occasion to see a small kitten in the middle of the street. I did not immediately react, since I could have stopped and taken it, without getting out of the car. So, I went on and at the first occasion I could turn, I went back to see if I could take the kitten, but it was to late, somebody had already killed it. This happened some month ago, but I still feel very sorry for that kitten. I just would like to know, what kind of entity are these animals and how does this fit in our world. Are these entities which choose this kind of life, like we do choose our kind of Human life? I see so many abandoned animals and every time I see one, my heart aches... I would like to know more about them.

Answer: Dear one, indeed the answer has been given, but let us give it again so you all understand. Animals are here on earth for three (3) reasons.

(1) The balance of biological life. . . the circle of energy that is needed for you to exist in what you call "nature."

(2) To be harvested. Yes, it's true. Many exist for your sustenance, and this is appropriate. It is a harmony between Human and animal, and always has. Remember the buffalo that willingly came into the indigenous tribes to be sacrificed when called? These are stories that you should examine again. The inappropriateness of today's culture is how these precious creatures are treated. Did you know that if there was an honoring ceremony at their death, they would nourish you better? Did you know that there is ceremony that could benefit all of humanity in this way. Perhaps it's time you saw it.

(3) To be loved and to love. For many cultures, animals serve as surrogate children, loved and taken care of. It gives Humans a chance to show compassion when they need it, and to have unconditional love when they need it. This is extremely important to many, and provides balance and centering for many.

Do animals know all this? At a basic level, they do. Not in the way you "know," but in a cellular awareness they understand that they are here in service to planet earth. If you honor them in all three instances, then balance will be the result. Your feelings about their treatment is important. Temper your reactions with the spiritual logic of their appropriateness and their service to humanity. Honor them in all three cases.

Taiwan could produce H7N9 vaccine within 2 months: official

Want China Times, CNA and Staff Reporter 2013-04-09

A shot in the arm for bird flu vaccine hopes? (Photo/China Times)

Once Taiwan obtains samples of the new H7N9 bird flu virus, it will be able to produce vaccines within two months, a health official said Monday.

Department of Health deputy minister Lin Tzou-yien said there are three ways to obtain the H7N9 virus — through the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, and China.

He said that if the virus comes from China, it will take two months to purify and screen it before vaccine production can begin. If, however, it can be obtained from the WHO or the CDC, then production can begin immediately.

"Taiwan is capable of completing production and starting clinical tests in six to eight weeks," he said.

He noted that currently, the H7N9 situation in China is still at the level-three stage (animal and limited human infection, with no human-to-human infection).

Should it be upgraded to level four (human-to-human infection and continuous community infection), the Executive Yuan will issue an emergency decree.

In such a scenario, vaccine production will skip the two-stage human tests that constitute normal procedure, Lin said.

The government will also prioritize vaccination for high-risk groups such as those in regular contact with poultry and front-line medical personnel.

Whether to include Taiwanese businessmen operating in H7N9-affected areas of China will need further assessment, Lin added.

The CDC has listed the Chinese provinces of Jiangsu and Anhui, as well as the cities of Shanghai and Nanjing, as areas affected by the H7N9 virus.

The health department also said that two Taiwanese epidemiologists that traveled to Shanghai over the weekend to learn more about China's strategy for combating the new bird flu strain will also have discussions with the Chinese authorities about obtaining the H7N9 virus.

China has confirmed 24 cases of H7N9 flu, with seven deaths so far.

Bird flu kills hundreds of chickens in Jambi

Antara News, Tue, March 1 2011

Related News

• Bird flu continuing to menace Cirebon district
• Bird flu spreading in Kerinci district
• Bird flu spreads further in Japan
• Bird flu threatens Samarinda
• Japanese PM urges hard efforts to fight bird flu

Jambi (ANTARA News) - Bird flu has killed several hundred chickens in certain areas of Jambi Kota and Jambi Luar Kota neighborhoods, Jambi province, over the past few days.

The deadly virus had also infected tens of chickens in four villages of Kota Jambi subdistrict and had spread to Pijoan village, Jambi Luar Kota subdistrict, locals said on Tuesday.

In response to the local residents` reports, Head of Muarojambi district`s veterinarian office Paruhuman Lubis said he had been aware of those dead chickens but it was not yet clear whether they were infected by the bird flu virus or other diseases.

"We have checked that there are chickens that suddenly die but we don`t know yet whether they are infected by the (bird flu) virus or not," he said.

The samples of those dead chickens would immediately be examined in a laboratory to enable his men to know the real causes of the chickens` deaths," he said.

If the laboratory tests had verified that the bird flu virus was behind the chickens` deaths, the related authorities would conduct disinfectant sprays for the people`s chicken cages, while the dead chickens were burned, he said.

However, the Muarojambi district`s veterinarians could not conduct the disinfectant sprays alone. Instead, they should be assisted by members of the provincial government`s team, he said.

Indonesia has 33 provinces. Only three have been confirmed free from the bird flu threat.

Indonesia has been plagued by bird flu since 2005. However, the H5N1 type influenza is also known to have attacked chickens and birds in other Asian countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia, China, and Vietnam.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), avian influenza or "bird flu" is a contagious disease among animals caused by a virus that normally infects only birds and, less commonly, pigs.

WHO has warned that avian influenza can spread very rapidly in a poultry or fowl population.

Over the past three weeks of January 2011, bird flu has also infected chickens in Mugirejo village, Sungai Pinang subdistrict, in Samarinda, East Kalimantan.

A bird flu outbreak had also spread in Kerinci district, Jambi province, recently.

According to a veterinarian in West Java, the bird flu virus attacking Indonesia was classified as "highly pathogenic avian influenza" (HPAI).

Editor: Aditia Maruli

Bird flu kills 49,000 Makassar chickens, ducks

Antara News, Sunday, October 10, 2010 03:58 WIB

Makassar, S Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Bird flu has killed at least 49,000 chickens and ducks in South Sulawesi province over the past four months, a government official said.

Head of South Sulawesi Province`s animal husbandry office Murtala Ali said here Saturday he had ordered related authorities in districts and cities to destroy the infected chickens and ducks.

"We have also prohibited the transportation of chickens from infected areas to other places," he said.

The dead chickens and ducks were found in 11 districts and towns, namely Takalar, Makassar, Luwu Timur, Luwu Utara, Soppeng, Pinrang, Parepare, Sidrap, Barru, Bulukumba and Bone.

Chickens in other 13 districts and towns in South Sulawesi were declared "free from the bird flu virus", he said.

Besides destroying the bird flu-infected animals, Ali said his people had intensified the vaccinization of chickens, spraying chicken nests, and public awareness campaigns.

He said the high rainfall in the province could trigger the spread of bird flu virus to other chickens.

Therefore he had ordered related authorities to halt the transportation of chickens from infected areas to elsewhere in the province.

Despite the concerning situation, the bird flu virus did not endanger local residents, he said.

Four bird flu suspects being hospitalized at Wahidin Sudirohusodo General Hospital here had been confirmed free from the deadly virus infection, he said.

"Nobody has died of flu here over the past two years," he said.

Various parts of Indonesia remain vulnerable to bird flu.

The Balikpapan city government had even declared state of bird flu alertness on October 4, 2010 following the death of 96 chickens last September.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), avian influenza or "bird flu" is a contagious disease of animals caused by viruses that normally infect only birds and, less commonly, pigs.

The WHO has warned that infection with avian influenza viruses could spread very rapidly among the poultry population.

Indonesia has been dealing with bird flu cases since 2005. However, the H5N1 virus is also known to have attacked chickens and birds in other Asian countries, such as Thailand, Cambodia, China, and Viet Nam.

Bird flu spreads to six regencies in S. Sulawesi

The Jakarta Post | Fri, 10/08/2010 9:54 AM

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: An avian flu outbreak has hit six South Sulawesi regencies, killing 18,000 chickens.

The head of the provincial animal husbandry agency, Murtala Ali, said Thursday that the infection had spread across the regencies of East Luwu, North Luwu, Pinrang, Soppeng, Sidenreng Rappang and Bone since September. He added that infections were also reported in Barru regency.

Murtala blamed changing weather patterns for the outbreak.

“The virus’ survival is very much dependant on the weather. This extreme change of weather may have triggered the outbreak,” Murtala said, adding that the spread of the virus was helped by the high mobility of chickens.

Four people admitted to Wahidin Sudirohusodo Hospital in Makassar on Sept. 29 for displaying symptoms of bird flu infection have all tested negative for the virus and have been discharged from the hospital. — JP

Poverty Watch: Chicken farming industry empowers villagers in Bantul

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta | Wed, 10/06/2010 9:46 AM

The bird flu epidemic in 2005 not only caused a decline in the population of local Javanese chicken species, but is also giving potential breeders second thoughts about raising chickens.

“It seems that local species are on the verge of extinction and the demand for poultry increasingly depends on imports,” Sujito said.

Sujito is seen as a pioneer of the Mandiri Free-range Chicken Farming Group in his village in Bantul, Yogyakarta.

He said the villagers’ decision to raise free-range chickens was motivated by haunting questions whether there was a safe way to raise chickens.

They decided to set the chickens free and found many of them died, until they came up with an idea about raising chickens in a coop, isolated from wild poultry.

The chickens were protected from diseases and their growth cycle was quicker than the chickens set free. More residents became interested in the method and in 2007 they formed the Mandiri Free-range Chicken Group, which served as a discussion forum especially on issues related to chicken farming.

“We didn’t imagine that raising free-range chickens would be the main livelihood for people in our area,” group leader Agung Yulianto said.

There are now more than 40 chicken farmers in Pucanganom selling more than 6,000 chickens each month.

For each chicken sold, residents contribute Rp 100 (about 1 US cent) to the group’s coffers. The total has now reached tens of millions of rupiah and covers the cost of day-old-chickens (DOC) and chicken feed.

“The cost of DOC and feed are covered by the group for now. The members pay their dues and contribute during the slaughter to the group’s treasury,” Agung said.

Agung, who studied animal husbandry, said free-range chicken farming helped minimize unemployment and raise people’s well being.

“Rather than working as a laborer in the city, it’s much better to be self-employed because it is more profitable,” Basuki, one of the chicken farmers, said.

The cost to raise a free-range chicken is between Rp 13,000 and Rp 14,000, with a 65 to 70-day-old chicken weighing up to 800 grams and selling for Rp 24,000 per kilogram or Rp 20,000 for a whole chicken.

“Each chicken could brings in between Rp 5,000 and Rp 8,000 in profit,” he said.

The Buras Mandiri chicken-farming community says it also provided free counseling to new farming groups.

“We don’t have special volunteers because we are all volunteers. We will provide counseling to new farming groups, from building coops to teaching raising techniques,”

Sujito said.

Sanden district has seen an increase in chicken-farming communities thanks to Buras Mandiri counseling, such as in Krangan, Murtigading, where a farming group produces 1,600 chickens and in Srigading, where the Segoro group produces more than 4,000 chickens each month.

The success of developing rural economies through free-range chicken farming has made Buras Mandiri a reference point for several poultry institutions and agencies.

Recently, a delegation from the Australian Agricultural Ministry conducted a survey before carrying out a bird flu handling program, and Buras Mandiri was one to the groups included in the criteria.

“Buras Mandiri has raised the people’s awareness. Now if there is a bird flu outbreak or other chicken farming issues, residents are quick to contact us so we can act immediately,” Sanden Animal Health Agency veterinarian Imawati said.

Jakarta Promises to Assist Relocated Chicken Sellers

Jakarta Globe, Arientha Primanita, March 23, 2010

An Indonesian worker sorts chickens at a chicken market in Jakarta. (EPA Photo/Bagus Indahono)

The Jakarta city administration said it would consider ways to ease the impact of the relocation of poultry slaughterhouses, as about a thousand chicken traders again protested against the plan on Tuesday.

Mara Oloan Siregar, assistant to the city secretary for economic and administrative affairs, said that the administration would hold discussions with chicken traders to find ways to prevent them from suffering losses as a result of the move.

“We will improve the relocation procedure and the agency will map [the location of] chicken traders and shelters so they can be arranged properly,” he said after meeting with chicken traders’ representatives at City Hall.

As the meeting was going on inside, about a thousand protesters rallied outside the building and at the adjacent City Council building to demand the city drop its relocation plan. The protesters threw dead chickens into the front yard of the City Council building to symbolize their objection to the plan to relocate 1,950 slaughterhouses and 210 shelters to just five locations in the capital.

The relocation, set to begin next month, is based on a 2007 bylaw on poultry control, husbandry and distribution, which states that poultry brought to markets in Jakarta must already be cut, cleaned and frozen to help prevent the spread of bird flu.

The traders have held frequent protests in recent weeks.

Edy Setiarto, head of Jakarta’s Agriculture and Fisheries Agency, said that even though the relocation would be carried out, there would be no raids on slaughterhouses that remained open on April 24 — the deadline for traders to sign up for the relocation.

“We will move the traders gradually and will also improve publicity relating to the bylaw and the relocation plan,” he said.

The Jakarta Poultry Traders Association (HPUJ) has claimed that 64,000 chicken traders employing 75,000 people may be forced to close down as a result of the move, because they would not be able to afford the costs of freezing, packing and distributing chicken from the new locations.

One of the protesters, Budi Prasetyo, 44, a chicken vendor in Rawa Badak market in North Jakarta, said he was worried the bylaw would add to his transport costs and force him to sell chickens that were no longer fresh.

“I slaughter chickens at my house. It takes less than 15 minutes to get to the market so my chickens are sold fresh,” he told the Jakarta Globe.

HPUJ head Siti Maryam told the city administration that if the traders’ demands were not met, they would stop selling in the market for several days.

But Edy said a strike would only affect consumers and the smaller traders. “The small traders are not the only ones selling chicken. If they strike, big traders could take advantage,” he said.

Oloan reiterated at the meeting that the bylaw was meant to make poultry trading more orderly and hygienic, in order to prevent the spread of bird flu.

As of March 2010, Indonesia still had the highest number of bird flu cases worldwide at 163 confirmed cases and 135 deaths. Dien Emawati, head of Jakarta’s Health Agency, said Jakarta had the highest number of bird flu fatalities at 37.

No delay in slaughterhouses relocation: Agency

Hasyim Widhiarto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 03/18/2010 4:22 PM

Despite massive protest over the city administration’s plan to remove all fowl slaughterhouses from inner city areas, Jakarta husbandry, fishery and maritime agency have ensured they would execute the plan right on schedule.

“There will be no delay on the relocation plan,” agency head Edy Setiarto told a press briefing Friday.

“We are now working to prepare the five official slaughterhouses, physically and systematically, as well as registering vendors who sign up for the relocation.”

Earlier this week, vendors staged a large protest outside the City Council to denounce feared job losses and declining income ahead the plan to relocate fowl slaughterhouses as mandated by a 2007 bylaw on bird control.

The relocation will start on April. 24.

Under the bylaw, only five city-appointed slaughterhouses will be allowed to operate – in Rawa Kepiting, Cakung and Pulo Gadung in East Jakarta; in North Petukangan in South Jakarta, and the privately owned PT Kartika Eka Dharma in West Jakarta . Some are still under construction.

‘Mx’ gene in indigenous chickens keeps the flu away: Study

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, BOGOR | Wed, 03/25/2009 11:18 AM

At least 62 percent of chickens indigenous to Indonesia are resistant to bird flu, thanks to a gene in their body called Mx, the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) revealed Monday.

“Genetically, the indigenous chickens [to Indonesia] have a gene that is immune to avian influenza,” said head of the institute Umar

Anggara Jenie, in an exposé of a biological study she gave at the Cibinong Sciences Center in Bogor, West Java.

Sri Sulandari, a gene researcher at the institute’s biological research center who studied the genes of indigenous chickens, said her institute carried out the first ever gene study focusing on how humans coped when contracting the virus and on the vaccination process.

“Few have looked into the genetic side to see how chickens themselves have a natural resistance to bird flu. The indigenous chickens’ ability to resist avian influenza varies according to the strength of the antivirus genes in their body,” Sri said.

Recent evidence indicated the Mx gene was associated with chicken resistance or susceptibility to highly pathogenic bird flu.

Indonesia’s varied population of indigenous chickens is a mine of information on the Mx gene and how resistant each breed of chicken is to bird flu, Sri added.

“Therefore, if there is a bird flu epidemic in a certain region, it is unwise to simply cull indigenous breeds, as we may lose crucial information on the Mx gene,” she said.

Ayam Cemani

A visit to Beji, the "birthplace" of the Ayam Cemani

Based on research findings, the institute rated the dark-colored Cemani chicken the most resistant to the virus and the green forest chicken the most susceptible.

The population of chickens in Banten, West Java, Lampung and North Sumatra was also found to be highly resistant to the virus.

The institute’s research findings were based on samples taken from 1,872 indigenous chickens of various breeds.

Avian influenza was first detected in Indonesia in August 2003 and has now been found in birds from 31 of the archipelago’s provinces.

According to the Indonesia National Committee for Avian Influenza Control and Pandemic Influenza Preparedness, there have been 145 human cases of bird flu in Indonesia spread over 12 provinces, with 119 fatalities.

To curb the spread of bird flu, the Jakarta administration issued a bylaw to ban backyard farming and also plans to remove all fowl slaughterhouses from inner city areas, concentrating slaughtering in the peripheral areas of Jakarta, such as Pulogadung, Rawa Kepiting and Cakung in East Jakarta and Kalideres in West Jakarta.

The administration is also aiming to relocate all slaughterhouses in the city to the four fowl slaughter centers by April 2010. In 2007, the city administration culled 78,741 fowl.