Chinese poultry smuggled into Vietnam raises bird flu fears

Thursday , Jan 22, 2009, Posted at: 14:10(GMT+7)

Chinese poultry smuggled into Vietnam raises bird flu fears

With China confirming a third death from bird flu -- that of a 16-year-old boy -- in Hunan Province this year and Xinhua news agency reporting a mass cull in the affected areas, poultry smuggled in from that country into Vietnam threatens not only farmers but also consumers here. Lots of chickens and other poultry sold in northern Vietnam are of Chinese origin ( Photo: SGGP) Border guards in the northern mountain province of Lang Son recently seized 16 contraband chickens for tests and found eight infected with the virulent H5N1 virus. Market authorities have caught dozens of trucks each trying to smuggle in up to two tons of poultry at Lang Son, Bac Ninh, Bac Giang, Quang Ninh and Ha Noi. Veterinary officials in Lang Son Province have carried out tests and found that 50 percent of 16 tested samples from smuggled poultry have the H5N1 virus, the head of the province’s animal health agency, Do Van Duoc, said. Nong Ngoc Tang, deputy chief of the local Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, expressed apprehension about the alarming rate, adding authorities would crack down on the sale of smuggled poultry. Duong Van Sinh, the head of market management in Lang Son Province, admitted it would be hard to eradicate the smuggling because smugglers earn huge profits from selling poultry. They buy it at VND12,000-12,700 a kilogram in China but get VND60,000-70,000 for it here. Officials are worried because people have consumed some dead poultry and no tests have been made to determine if birds are sick. The National Steering Board for Bird Flu Prevention expressed concern at a meeting held by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development about winter being conducive to outbreaks of the disease. The ministry confirmed outbreaks in two northern provinces, Thanh Hoa and Thai Nguyen.