Japanese ministry to file complaint against bird flu farm

The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry has decided to file a complaint against Asada Nosan with the Kyoto prefectural police for failing to report a possible outbreak of avian flu at its Funai Farm.



With work to control the bird flu epidemic at the farm in Tanbacho, Kyoto Prefecture, likely to finish late this month, the ministry will question Hideaki Asada, the firm president, to prepare for filing the complaint. The Kyoto prefectural government also plans to question Asada.



Asada Nosan did not make any report to the prefecture even after large numbers of chickens began to die Feb. 20, the outbreak finally being disclosed Feb. 26 by an anonymous report. Tests by the prefecture and others discovered infection with the H5N1 strain of bird flu.



The farm continued shipping chicken meat and other products throughout this time.



As wild crows and chickens at a poultry-processing plant in Hyogo Prefecture and at another poultry unit near Funai Farm also tested positive for the virus, scientists say it is likely Funai was the source of the outbreak.


From:

yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20040314wo34.htm