International Egg and Poultry Review - By the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service - This is a weekly report looking at international developments concerning the poultry industry, this week looking at Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Vietnam.

Vietnam

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was first detected in Vietnam late December 2003 and by the end of March 2004 about 43.8 million poultry, accounting for about 16.8 percent of the total poultry population, had died or been destroyed. Vietnam worked to strengthen poultry transportation control among localities and across borders, to mobilize government authorities and public organizations to aid in disease prevention and control activities, and to deliver information on disease so people can take action to control the disease and to protect themselves from the virus.

A second wave of HPAI peaked in January-February 2005. Outbreaks occurred on a much smaller scale. Over one million birds were culled, including 460,000 chickens and 530,000 ducks, mostly in small scale household poultry flocks. Low winter temperatures favoring virus survival and the increase of poultry transportation during the Lunar New Year contributed to an increase of outbreaks in 35 out of 64 provinces and cities in Vietnam. Between mid April and mid June only small numbers of fowl had been infected. Recently, 700 chickens on a farm in southern Ben Tre province were culled after 6,000 of them died between June 9 and June 11, 2005.

In February 2005 Vietnam banned incubating duck and goose eggs for breeding flocks through the end of 2005, and announced a measure to stop farmers from allowing their ducks to roam freely in canals and rice fields. In June 2005 the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development extended the ban on egg incubation for breeding poultry and the development of new waterfowl and quail flocks until February 2006.

Vietnam has about 270 million poultry, including 190 million chickens and 70 million ducks. More than 80 percent of the poultry production in Vietnam is based on traditional production systems at the smallholder level. Chicken provides a high quality protein to farming families and a cash income through the sale of meat and eggs. About 70 percent of the chickens are local breeds raised outdoors. Live chicken are usually sold to retailers and wholesalers, carcasses are sold to wholesalers, retailers or directly to the consumer. The most common methods for distribution are by motorcycle, cycle or foot. There is no refrigerated transport.

Vietnam’s Agriculture and Rural Development Ministry has requested permission and funds to vaccinate 212 million fowls nationwide later this year. Some vaccines have been tested successfully at poultry farms in northern Ha Tay province and southern Dong Nai province. The Veterinary Department is also asking localities to reduce the number of poultry flocks, raise and slaughter poultry on large scales in concentrated areas, and cull flocks of less than 30 birds which are raised free-range.
Source: FAO, OIE, WHO, and various news wires

H5N2 Avian Influenza Confirmed in Japan

More than 800 chickens have died at a farm in northeastern Japan since April. Testing detected H5N2, a strain of low path avian influenza. Over 23,000 chickens at the farm will be culled and all other farms within a five kilometer zone were banned from shipping any birds or eggs.
Source: various news wires

To view the full report, including tables please click here

Source: USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service - 28th June 2005