Poultry markets were deserted and live chickens and ducks disappeared from all local food markets in Shanghai yesterday.
The municipal government issued a decree on Sunday night, banning the sale of live poultry in the city in order to prevent the spread of bird flu virus.
A suspected case of bird flu was reported in the city's Nanhui District last Friday.
"The market is empty and the only thing we can do is wait for the crisis to be over," said Wang Zhen, general manager of Sanguantang Market, the city's largest poultry wholesaler.
The market, which reported average daily sales of up to 1 million yuan (US$120,000) before the ban, stopped supplying local retailers on Sunday night.
Yesterday, the city shut down 690 poultry markets.
The government of Nanhui District announced plans yesterday to spend up to 6 million yuan to compensate poultry farmers whose stocks have been slaughtered over the past few days to prevent the deadly virus from spreading.
Other victims of the disease include poultry exporters and restaurants specializing in baizhanji, a popular local dish consisting of thin slices of lightly boiled chicken.
In yesterday's edition, the Shanghai Morning Post quoted health experts advising people not to eat the dish "because baizhanji is usually boiled lightly and served a bit raw."
"What the newspaper reported is not fair," said Mei Ansheng, general manager of the Shanghai Xiao Shao Xing Group Co, the oldest restaurant chain in the city specializing in baizhanji.
"Our chickens are simmered in 100 degree water for at least 20 minutes," Mei claimed.
However, Mei said, the company's good reputation has prevented the newspaper report from having too much effect on its business, noting many customers ordered the dish for lunch yesterday.
Meanwhile, Shanghai's chicken exporters are suffering after Japan banned the import of poultry from China last Thursday.
Shanghai dajiang (Group) Stock Co Ltd, a Shanghai-listed poultry company that shipped 80 percent of its exports to Japan last year, has warehouses stocked with goods it doesn't know where to sell.
"It is the worst business situation we have ever met," said an official surnamed Gu with the company.
Dajiang is one of China's largest chicken producers and processors. It exported 15,000 tons of poultry last year, worth US$30 million turnover.
Bird watchers will also be affected by the flu as the Dongtan Natural Conservation Zone on Chongming Island, the only county of Shanghai, was closed to the public yesterday.
"Currently, we are cooperating with local veterinarians to take blood samples from the migratory birds to test whether they carry the bird flu virus," said Tang Chendong, a local wildlife conservation officer.
"These birds should be healthy because they arrived here in October and November from the north," he added.
Meanwhile, the city's homing pigeon association issued an emergency notice to its members yesterday, canceling all formerly scheduled homing pigeon activities and competitions in Shanghai.
The group's members, which raise nearly 1 million homing pigeons in the city, were advised to fly pigeons in small numbers and control the distance they fly between three to five kilometers.
(eastday.com February 3, 2004)
