Taiwan Offers Cash Incentives for Poultry Slaughter Ban
TAIWAN - On 2 May 2013, Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced a cash incentive program for poultry slaughterhouses and wet market vendors to ensure compliance with a ban on live poultry slaughter at traditional wet markets. The ban, which will become effective 17 May 2013, was announced as a precautionary measure to deal with the H7N9 avian influenza.
21 May 2013
3 minute read
Taiwan authorities introduced the cash incentive program as a means to not only speed up the transition but also to ensure a stable supply of poultry meat and reduce the impact of the ban on wet market vendors' livelihoods.
Before the 17 May deadline, authority-registered poultry vendors at traditional wet markets will receive NTD$15 (USD$0.50) from Taiwan's Council of Agriculture (COA) for every bird purchased from a local, approved poultry slaughter facility (with the intent being to reduce the number of bird's slaughtered by the traditional poultry venders themselves).
Moreover, the COA will also give registered slaughterhouses NTD$10 (USD$0.33) each day between 3-16 May 2013 for every bird slaughtered above average daily levels - 20 per cent of this incentive will remain with the facility, 80 per cent will go to the live bird distributors, farmers or middlemen.
Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) is looking to lessen the ban's impact by providing each legally-registered live poultry vendor a lump sum payment of NTD$100,000 if he or she signs an affidavit to stop dressing live birds at the traditional markets and, instead, agrees to only accept birds slaughtered at licensed facilities.
According to reports, 920 poultry vendors and 79 slaughter houses are eligible for these incentives.
Local authorities continue to hold educational seminars and outreach events with the general public and traditional market vendors regarding H7N9 and measures to prevent the spread of H7N9 and other poultry diseases.
