In Nueva Ecija, culling of chickens, quails starts

CABANATUAN CITY — Only one major poultry owner in Nueva Ecija province has suffered losses when his stock of chickens was infected with the bird flu virus, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said here on Saturday.

DA Central Luzon Director Roy Abaya also said 50 Army soldiers were scheduled to help MMJ Poultry Farm in San Isidro town cull its 70,000 chickens on Saturday night or early Sunday morning.

The soldiers will also help destroy 200,000 infested quails, which are raised for eggs in several backyard farms in Jaen town.

“The problem in San Isidro was detected in MMJ Poultry Farm in Barangay San Roque. In Jaen, the problem was among quail layers in Barangay Imbunya. There are 100 quail raisers in Imbunya who are relying on income from quail eggs,” Abaya said.

He said ducks, game cocks, and pigeons within a 1-kilometer radius of the two villages would also be destroyed.

On Friday, Abaya met with farmers raising chickens, quails and other poultry. He and his team were also scheduled to visit other Nueva Ecija towns following reports of chicken deaths in poultry farms.

A task force, composed of officials from the agriculture and health departments, police and local governments, has been activated to help contain the outbreak in San Isidro and Jaen.

“We have also established checkpoints to prevent birds or eggs in the two villages from being transported out. Necessary measures were also established to contain the birds within the 7-km radius of the two villages,” Abaya said.

Like the destroyed birds in San Luis town in Pampanga province where the outbreak was first announced, the infected birds in San Isidro and Jaen would either be strangled or gassed with carbon dioxide and then buried in pits dug up at the farms.

Abaya said the number of birds to be slaughtered would be documented. Their owners will be paid P80 for every infected chicken and P10 for every infected egg that have to be destroyed.

“We appealed to all concerned officials in the different towns and cities of Nueva Ecija to help us monitor the situation in their areas. We are ready to give them the necessary assistance whenever it is needed,” Abaya said.

“We will survive this. Let’s help each other,” Jaen Mayor Sylvia Austria told farmers and residents during a meeting on Saturday.

Most of the farmers were housewives who borrowed money to put up backyard quail farms. One of them said she borrowed P100,000 to buy birds.

Councilor Sylvester Austria said a private company has offered to shoulder expenses for disinfecting affected areas. “Everyone is lending us a hand,” he said. —With a report from Armand Galang