China earthquake: huge damage to poultry production
The earthquake in China, which has claimed thousands of human lives, has
caused enormous damage to the agricultural sector - mainly poultry and pig
production. An additional consequence is the fear of the spread of disease.
Dutch agricultural newspaper Agrarisch Dagblad reports that the Chinese
ministry has stated that 12.5 mln livestock have died as a result of the
earthquake, mainly poultry. Approx. 792,000 pigs in the province Sichuan have
The disaster occurred just before the beginning of the warm season where
some poultry diseases are at their worst. Structural damage, together with bad
accessibility caused by the earthquake and poor hygiene standards, has increased
the chances of diseases spreading.
â€œPrevention of contagious diseases is one of our biggest priorities in the
relief efforts,â€ said Chinese government officials.
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