Source: CCTV.com

04-03-2007 16:14

A recent trip to a duck farm near Bangkok left visitors wondering what a duck actually looks like. That's because the farm's closed breeding environment and strict biosecurity measures mean that absolutely no one from outside are allowed to see the birds in the flesh, even for some 20 journalists who came all the way from six different countries here to Chachoengsao province.

Vehicles from outside are not allowed to enter the farm. Visitors have to walk through the gate, which is usually closed when the farm is open. If the closed iron-fence gate still does not remind visitors of the bird flu threat, then the disinfection room right beside it will. This room is about five metres long, and disinfectant is sprayed all over. All the journalists tried their best to rush through the disinfection channel, yet without a single exception everybody's clothes got wet. The farm owner was welcoming us just as we emerged from the disinfection room, nodding his head and smiling humbly. But his hospitality did not mean that we could enter the duck houses -- instead, we were led to the meeting room for a briefing.

We learnt that there used to be more than 1,200 poultry farms in this province before outbreaks of bird flu re-emerged in South-east Asia at the end of 2003. Only a third of these farms remain now. The ones that went bankrupt were usually small family farms that relied on regular purchases by large-scale poultry processing enterprises. But due to concerns about avian flu and its impact on their business, many large enterprises set up their own farms. Much of the remaining poultry purchases also went to farms with strict biosecurity measures. As a result, small farms had to find out other ways to make a living.

After the briefing, the duck farm owner led all the journalists in front of three "staff only" disinfection rooms leading to the duck houses. Pointing to the illustrations on the wall, the owner explained the procedures that his staff must go through before handling the birds: Take all clothes off, have disinfectant sprayed all over one's body, take a shower, and in the end, put on white work clothes and boots. This procedure is a must for all staff before entering the duck house, the farm owner emphasised.

Afterwards, all the journalists were informed that photo opportunities would come with rather strict conditions. A white line drawn on the ground kept the reporters 50 metres away from the duck houses. What is one crossed the line? I tried just one small step and the farm owner cautioned me with a gentle smile. What the journalists were able to record with their cameras were only duck houses in alignment rather than lively and lovely birds. Such measures were meant to prevent the ducks from contacts with wild birds, the farm owner explained. Not only wild birds, we thought.