Poultry farmers face bankruptcy
VIETNAM - Bird flu may force many poultry farmers in Vietnam into bankruptcy, as more skittish consumers shy away from their products, an official said Tuesday.The virus is causing some 700 billion dong (US$44 million) in losses each month because poultry products cannot be marketed, said Tran Cong Xuan, president of the Vietnam Poultry Farmers Association.
"Never before has the poultry industry been in such a difficult situation," he said. "Many poultry farmers are on brink of bankruptcy because customers are turning their back to poultry and poultry products."
Many farmers with flocks larger than 100 have released their birds into the rice fields because they can no longer afford to feed them, actions which increase the risk of the H5N1 bird flu virus spreading further, he said.
Xuan blamed the situation on excessive misinformation in state-controlled media, which inaccurately advised people not to consume poultry and poultry products.
Source: Borneo Bulletin
7 December 2005
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