Bird flu high on Gov't meeting's agenda
(02/04/2004 -- 21:47GMT+7)
Ha Noi, Feb. 4 (VNA) - Bird flu was at the top of the agenda at the monthly Government meeting on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Phan Van Khai assigned 28 Government officials to supervise the fight against the bird flu in 64 provinces and cities.
The PM placed his three deputies in charge of the supervision in the northern provinces of Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Ha Tay and Ha Nam, as well as in Ha Noi and Hai Phong cities.
Khai said he would take responsibility for the northern provinces of Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh.
He asked ministers from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work with foreign organisations to contain the outbreak.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung ordered the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on Tuesday to create a plan to replenish the country's breeding stock after the outbreak.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development report suggested that the country had about 40,000 roost and brood hens at 12 State, 119 local and seven foreign owned farms.
The breeding stock, which produced millions of offspring annually, would help Viet Nam recover from the outbreak, the report suggested.
The ministry suggested breeders set up a 500m 'safe zone' around their farms to protect their hens from the outbreak. Poultry would not be shipped into the area, which would be sterilised twice per week.
The Ministry said it would closely monitor farms in communes or villages with key breeds. If an outbreak occurred there, substitutes would be set up in safe zones, 3km from residential areas and farms.
It would stock the substitute farms with enough eggs to ensure each had at least 250 breeding hens.
The ministry also proposed the Government offer 15,000 VND per bird per month to raise breeding hens.
Fees to destroy dead poultry, sterilise farms and buy protective equipment also need Government support, it said.
Le Hung Quoc, director of the Agriculture Department at the ministry, said deputy PM Dung and other officials agreed with the measures to protect the country's breeding stock.
He said the deputy PM also suggested the ministry set up a strict treatment therapy for the stock.
