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update:Jul 20, 2006
Australia helps compensate Indonesian farmers
The Australian government has established an A$10 million (US$7.32
million) compensation scheme to assist Indonesian poultry farmers hit by bird
flu.
The Australian government believes that a lack of such
a compensation scheme is hindering the efforts to fight
bird
flu
in Indonesia.
Australian
Health Minister Tony Abbott said: "One of the problems in Indonesia is that
there is not a well-developed compensation system for farmers who have bird flu
in their poultry flocks. You can't really get an effective reporting system in
countries like these unless you have an effective compensation
system."
Indonesia has
allocated only 30 billion rupiah (US$3.19 million) for compensating farmers. For
each destroyed chicken, a farmer gets R10,000 (US$1.06), whereas the birds fetch
R15,000 to R30,000 at market.
Indonesia has averaged one human bird
flu death every 2.5 days in May. The problem was compounded by the earthquake
last month forcing people to take shelter in poultry sheds that still contained
feathers and chicken remains.
Indonesia is expected to take over from
Vietnam as the country with the maximum number of bird flu deaths shortly.
Vietnam has officially recorded 42 deaths from the disease, while Indonesia is
at 39.
Editor WorldPoultry
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