SAN LUIS -- Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Manny Piñol on Tuesday, August 15, started his day by eating balut, chicken arroz caldo, leche flan, and fried duck - all from this town as he informed the public that the avian influenza in the province is “not harmful to humans.”
The secretary was accompanied by Vice-Governor Dennis Pineda, Mayor Venancio Macapagal, and Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Veterinarian III Doctor Ronnie Domingo.
Piñol assured the public that the avian flu in Pampanga is not as harmful as what is disseminated in social networking sites which spread fear to the public and dissuades the consumption of chicken products coming from the province.
“I would like to contradict the public’s belief that the avian flu they know is harmful to humans. There is a lot of misinformation circulating to the public. There is no way that avian flu would be transmitted from birds to humans,” he said.
Cull now
In a dialogue between the DA, the Provincial Government, local government unit and the poultry communities here and in nearby towns, the secretary affirmed that the birds within the one-kilometer quarantine radius from San Carlos village must be culled whether healthy or not. This is to prevent further infestation in other areas of Pampanga and in nearby towns.
“We cannot do anything about it. We must strictly follow the protocol and bury or incinerate all of the birds within the one-kilometer radius,” he said.
He added that the poultry products from within the seven-kilometer control radius from ground zero which is in San Carlos are not allowed to be transported outside the vicinity. They were instead given the green light to sell their products within the radius.
The farmer-secretary gave his deepest apologies to the poultry operators because of the billions of profits and capital lost due to the outbreak.
“Of course, it hurts me so bad that we have to experience this, but bear in mind that we are doing this for your own good. We must cull everything that can transmit the virus so that we can save the whole country,” he said.
The DA and BAI were ordered to closely coordinate with the Provincial Government to conduct the inspection and documentation including the proper disposal of the culled poultry.
A new way of disposing culled poultry was suggested as spaces for the burial became unfit for a low-lying town. Incineration of the dead poultry was seen conducive so as to burn even the virus to eliminate the threat of spread.
Voluntary culling was also seen effective as long as the poultry owners present a pair of claws as one count for the culled poultry. This will be used for documentation and easy dispensation of compensation.
The compensation for each fowl was closed at P80 per culled poultry regardless of its original price. DA assured that it is willing to spend millions to aid the ailing poultry industry here. (PR)