Time ticks for bird flu

Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn on Wednesday called for all-out efforts to end the spread of bird flu within a week, with the number of slaughtered poultry topping 27 million and egg prices spiraling.  

At a daily meeting on the avian influenza outbreak, the prime minister also expressed condolences to the family of a local health official who was believed to have passed away due to overwork.

The 40-year-old employee of the Seongju County office, North Gyeongsang Province, was found dead Tuesday after working for more than 12 hours every day since last month to disinfect poultry facilities.

“Fatigue is growing among the personnel due to protracted fumigation activities,” Hwang said during the session, requesting the related agencies to secure alternative labor force.

“I want you to take an all-out approach with extraordinary resolve so that we can certainly contain the AI spread within one week.”

As of midnight Tuesday, nearly 27 million chickens and ducks at 567 farms have been slaughtered across the country, which amounts to more than 15 percent of the country’s supply of chickens and 25 percent of the supply of ducks, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

Some experts project the tally may shoot up to 50 million due to the cold weather and pervasiveness of the flu.

Egg prices skyrocketed in the wake of the AI outbreak, with a tray of 30 eggs exceeding 10,000 won ($8.5) at some places, prompting the government to temporarily lift tariffs on imports. The nationwide average price stands at around 7,500 won, up almost 38 percent from a year ago.

Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Kim Jae-soo also said Tuesday that the agency will look into whether retailors and bakery groups unreasonably hike prices.

“Currently some 2,100 tons of eggs and related products are imported annually, so they can still use them to make bread and other things. We should monitor if they raise the prices on the excuse of higher egg costs,” he said at an internal agency meeting.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)