As avian influenza outbreaks have been confirmed in more areas in China, the Chinese government began considering applicable ways to sustain the purses of farmers, in particular poultry raisers.

The ministries of finance and agriculture announced on Monday that the government will compensate farmers whose fowls are killed in order to control the spread of bird flu.

The government ordered the slaughter of all the poultry in affected areas within a three-km radius right after the outbreak of the epidemic, and will provide financial assistance for the loss.

The local governments will soon work out applicable criteria for individual cases, said government officials.

The government will also pay for compulsory vaccinations in the affected areas while the cost of vaccinations in other areas will be shared by the government and farmers.

In east Anhui Province's Jieshou city, which was confirmed with the epidemic on Thursday, the slaughter was completed. In Wangnan village, where the outbreak was reported, all the chickens, ducks and geese were gone and fowl farms were empty.

"Our mission now is to continue vaccination and pay subsidies to the farmers," said Xie Shuxian, the city's deputy mayor.

Local fowl raiser Niu Juren stayed at home under quarantine and had nothing to do these days after all his chickens were killed. On Thursday, he received his cash subsidy.

"The money basically covers my initial investment," he said. "I think I can breed some pigs in the future and make money from that."

"The government will surely provide favorable policies and financial support for poultry farmers to live through the current crisis," north Shanxi Province's Acting Governor Zhang Baoshun pledged as he visited rural areas on Thursday, China's traditional Lantern Festival.

Rural economists said that farmers will suffer tremendous economic loss if affected by the epidemic and in other areas poultry raisers will have to pay extra money to prevent the disease.

In spite of that, the Chinese government reiterated its support for rural farmers. And the central government will give priority to the central and western parts of the nation, according to official sources. Early this week, the Ministry of Finance had already allocated the first batch of funds for some affected areas.

(Xinhua News Agency February 7, 2004)