project background
Poultry is considered one of the most important protein sources in Southeast Asia. The increasing chicken and duck production supplies both domestic and international markets. Reports of outbreaks of poultry diseases can disrupt production, cause economic loss for individual farmers, affect consumer perceptions and create additional constraints for trade. Rapid response to outbreaks is one method to help minimize their impact.
The most commonly used rapid response strategy involves culling of diseased and exposed poultry. Adequate compensation of farmers whose poultry are culled is one effective strategy to encourage rapid reporting and cooperation with response efforts. This project will survey culling practices, disposal approaches and compen-sation policies used in poultry (chickens and ducks) to control disease outbreaks in Lower Mekong Countries. Information will be collected by interviewing key government officials and reviewing country evaluation reports such as the Performance of Veterinary Services conducted by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
Current recommendations for best practices in culling, disposal and compensation also will be compiled from a systematic review of published literature, interviews with regional experts, and research reports from relevant intergovern-mental organizations such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the International Livestock Research Institute.