COA TO INCREASE COMPENSATION FOR CULLING INFECTED BIRDS|防堵禽流感 農委會提高撲殺補償金額

The Council of Agriculture held a monitoring conference and expert panel on avian influenza in response to the increasing number of infections of the highly pathogenic H5N6 virus. In order to limit the outbreak and encourage farmers to report infections, the Council of Agriculture has decided to increase the compensation paid to the owner of animals culled due to H5N6 from 60 to 80% of the market price. Some academics say that extraordinary measures are needed to end the epidemic, such as a week-long national moratorium on slaughtering and transporting poultry. A case of the highly pathogenic H5N6 avian influenza virus, which has devastated the poultry industry in Japan and Korea, was confirmed in Hualien on February 5th. New cases were then discovered in Tainan and Chiayi. The strain of virus found in Taiwan is similar to that in Korea, and the Council of Agriculture believes it was brought in by migrating birds. To encourage farmers to report cases of infection, the Council of Agriculture has decided to increase the compensation for culling infected birds. ==CHEN CHI-CHUNG Vice Minister of Agriculture== The current rule is that the compensation is 60%. We are considering increasing the compensation as appropriate (to 80%). The increase should be approved quickly, as early as today. The Council of Agriculture also held an expert panel, livestreamed online, on preventing an epidemic. The Council said that private veterinarians may be commissioned to visit poultry farms so that any birds showing signs of infection may be culled. However, academics say that extraordinary measures may be needed, such as a nation-wide moratorium on slaughtering and transporting birds lasting at least one week. ==LAI HSIU-SUI Prof. Emeritus, Dept. of Veterinary Medicine, NTU== A new virus should be contained and eliminated before it manages to spread. We'll also be able to eliminate older strains like H5N2. Academics say that backlash will be inevitable for such extreme measures, but that building a sustainable poultry industry is worth the short-term pain. The Council of Agriculture has not ruled out a moratorium, but is leaning toward a more moderate solution: Any county or municipality with an H5N6 outbreak will be banned from transporting live birds beyond its borders, in order to prevent the virus from spreading along truck routes. This will achieve some of the effects of a moratorium. TRANSLATED BY：JOHN CHEN 國內感染禽流感H5N6高病原病毒的病例有增加趨勢，對此農委會分別在上下午召開禽流感疫情會議與專家會議。為了提高農民通報意願又不至於不積極防疫，農委會決定提高H5N6家禽的撲殺補償金額，方向是從六成增加至八成。也有學者認為若真要徹底阻絕H5N6病毒，農委會應拿出非常手段，全台禁宰禁運、至少一個禮拜。 重創日韓養禽業的禽流感H5N6高病原病毒，2月5號在花蓮玉里的幼鴨身上確診，接下來台南火雞、嘉義烏骨雞都驗出，新病毒基因序列與韓國最相似，農委會始終認為是候鳥帶入。為了提高農民主動通報疫情的意願，別亂丟病死家禽、導致病毒流竄，農委會上午舉行疫情會議，初步決定要提高H5N6撲殺補償金額。 ==農委會副主委 陳吉仲== 辦法裡面是用 60%六成的方式來補助 有考慮再把補償的金額 適度提高(到八成) 應該會在很快的時間就是今天 就會拍板定案 防疫要除了靠農民主動通報，下午農委會也舉行專家會議，雖沒對媒體開放，但全程進行網路直播，農委會強調，要提高偵測病毒的能量，希望徵調民間獸醫協助訪視禽場，若有禽隻有異狀、直接撲殺。但與會學者認為，若真要全面防堵H5N6，農委會應拿出非常手段，下令全台家禽全面禁宰禁運至少一個禮拜。 ==台大獸醫系名譽教授 賴秀穗== 一個新進的病毒 應該在還沒有擴大之前 我們應該把它清除掉 這個也可以同時清除H5N2 以前舊的這些病毒 學者表示，這帖猛藥勢必引發反彈，但為了產業永續，長痛不如短痛，農委會不排除這是終極手段，但現階段比較傾向折衷，若某縣市出現H5N6疫情，就禁止該縣市家禽外運，只能在當地屠宰，讓病毒不會因為車輛運輸、擴散到其他縣市，某種程度達到禁運效果。 記者林靜梅 陳立峰 台北報導