Govt to compensate poultry farmers

daniel russell

July 17, 2015 9:46 AM

More than 30,000 live birds have so far been destroyed since the outbreak of the virus was confirmed by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) in May 2015.

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The government will soon announce a compensation package for farmers whose live birds have been destroyed as a result of the bird flu.

Although a final decision is yet to be taken on the package, a Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in charge of Livestock, Dr Hannah Louisa Bissiw, told the Daily Graphic Thursday that the government was contemplating a compensation package of GH¢2 million for the farmers whose birds had been destroyed.

According to her, more than 30,000 live birds had so far been destroyed since the outbreak of the virus was confirmed by the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) in May 2015.

She said the fine details of the package would be made known once a final decision had been taken on the matter.

Dr Bissiw said there was a high possibility the virus would spread if live birds were carried from one place to another, hence the ban on the hawking of birds on the streets and in the markets.

Acknowledging the financial effect the outbreak would have on the farmers, she said the government was considering providing the farmers with some compensation and said the public would be informed about any decision taken on that score.

Movement of birds

The Veterinary Services Department of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has temporarily placed a ban on the hawking of live birds within Accra to prevent further outbreaks of the flu in the city and its environs.

Dr Bissiw explained that the move was to encourage people to buy their birds from certified retailers to reduce the spread of bird flu in the country.

She said two of the outbreaks in the Greater Accra Region had been linked to vendors.

Source: graphic.com.gh

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daniel russell