Sally Furniss
Well-known member
Avian Influenza: FG pays N626m as compensation
? Friday, Jul 18, 2008The Federal Government has paid N626 million as compensation to poultry farmers and individuals, whose birds were culled following the Avian influenza (AI) outbreak in 2006.
Mr. Banji Akeredolu, Communication Component National Coordinator, Avian Influenza Control and Human Pandemic Preparedness and Response Project, disclosed this on Wednesday in an interview with the newsmen in Abuja.
Akeredolu said that the compensation was made possible with the assistance of the World Bank, adding that the country?s AI control project had one of the best compensation modalities and rates around the world.
?In countries in South East Asia, they don?t pay compensation, especially to those who have backyard poultry, because they expect you to have taken insurance.
?But in Nigeria, we paid those who lost one chicken and those who lost thousands. The rate now is much better, between N800 and N1,000, depending on the type of bird, compared to the old flat rate of N250 per birds,? he said.
The Coordinator said it was difficult to quantify the losses resulting from Avian Influenza outbreak.
?It is not just the loss of birds but also loss of jobs and loss of interest in the poultry business.
?A lot of people who lost all their birds have not returned to business. A lot of people who were previously employed are now unemployed,? he said.
He explained that under the Live Bird Market Development Programme, some prototype stalls would be built in some major markets in the country and equipped with water and sanitation facilities.
?The stalls are well laid out and secluded from other parts of the market so that cross-contamination will not occur.?
Furthermore, as part of the programme, he said washable cages that could be easily decontaminated would soon replace the traditional cane and raffia cages.
He said that local industries had been contacted to fabricate the approved designs of various sizes, which would be distributed to traders in selected live Bird markets in the next few weeks.
He said in future, a mechanism would be put in place to assist traders, who could not afford to buy the new cages to be soon introduced.
Akeredolu commended the efforts of the national Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), saying the results of tests conducted by the institute had been confirmed by the international institute in Padova, Italy.
?NVRI has been quite wonderful, not just for Nigeria but also for the sub-region.
?There has not been any difference in the tests conducted by the institute and the ones done in Padova, Italy, This is a big plus for the institute,? he said.
The Coordinator said it was impossible to control the movement of migratory birds, thought to be the agents of bird flu.
But he said it was suspected that the disease got into Nigeria through cross-border trade in live chicken or the processed ones, rather than migratory birds.
He, however, cautioned that poultry farmers and individuals should ensure that their birds did not mix with migratory birds.
He also advised the people to report to the veterinary control unit for prompt action, if such birds, dead or alive, were observed in any area.
http://www.thetidenews.com/article.aspx?qrDate=07/18/2008&qrTitle=Avian%20Influenza:%20FG%20pays%20N626m%20as%20compensation&qrColumn=HEALTH
? Friday, Jul 18, 2008The Federal Government has paid N626 million as compensation to poultry farmers and individuals, whose birds were culled following the Avian influenza (AI) outbreak in 2006.
Mr. Banji Akeredolu, Communication Component National Coordinator, Avian Influenza Control and Human Pandemic Preparedness and Response Project, disclosed this on Wednesday in an interview with the newsmen in Abuja.
Akeredolu said that the compensation was made possible with the assistance of the World Bank, adding that the country?s AI control project had one of the best compensation modalities and rates around the world.
?In countries in South East Asia, they don?t pay compensation, especially to those who have backyard poultry, because they expect you to have taken insurance.
?But in Nigeria, we paid those who lost one chicken and those who lost thousands. The rate now is much better, between N800 and N1,000, depending on the type of bird, compared to the old flat rate of N250 per birds,? he said.
The Coordinator said it was difficult to quantify the losses resulting from Avian Influenza outbreak.
?It is not just the loss of birds but also loss of jobs and loss of interest in the poultry business.
?A lot of people who lost all their birds have not returned to business. A lot of people who were previously employed are now unemployed,? he said.
He explained that under the Live Bird Market Development Programme, some prototype stalls would be built in some major markets in the country and equipped with water and sanitation facilities.
?The stalls are well laid out and secluded from other parts of the market so that cross-contamination will not occur.?
Furthermore, as part of the programme, he said washable cages that could be easily decontaminated would soon replace the traditional cane and raffia cages.
He said that local industries had been contacted to fabricate the approved designs of various sizes, which would be distributed to traders in selected live Bird markets in the next few weeks.
He said in future, a mechanism would be put in place to assist traders, who could not afford to buy the new cages to be soon introduced.
Akeredolu commended the efforts of the national Veterinary Research Institute (NVRI), saying the results of tests conducted by the institute had been confirmed by the international institute in Padova, Italy.
?NVRI has been quite wonderful, not just for Nigeria but also for the sub-region.
?There has not been any difference in the tests conducted by the institute and the ones done in Padova, Italy, This is a big plus for the institute,? he said.
The Coordinator said it was impossible to control the movement of migratory birds, thought to be the agents of bird flu.
But he said it was suspected that the disease got into Nigeria through cross-border trade in live chicken or the processed ones, rather than migratory birds.
He, however, cautioned that poultry farmers and individuals should ensure that their birds did not mix with migratory birds.
He also advised the people to report to the veterinary control unit for prompt action, if such birds, dead or alive, were observed in any area.
http://www.thetidenews.com/article.aspx?qrDate=07/18/2008&qrTitle=Avian%20Influenza:%20FG%20pays%20N626m%20as%20compensation&qrColumn=HEALTH