POULTRY SLAUGHTERED IN CRIMEA

20 000 poultry will be slaughtered in the Crimea, said head of the veterinary service of the “Autonomous” republic Maria Miroshnichenko. Chicken, geese, ducks and turkeys are being burnt in specially dug out pits in three Crimean regions. President of the Ukraine Victor Yushchenko placed the Crimea under the state of emergency. Interior ministry checkpoints had been established on a three-kilometer radius around the villages, disinfecting all vehicles coming out of them. A quarantine was placed around the five villages where poultry was dying en masse. Sales of live poultry are banned in open markets. However, according to some sources, this ban is not fully enforced due to inefficiency of local services.
International press agencies report, that the H5 virus was found among chickens and geese in five villages in the Crimea, a peninsula that juts into the Black Sea, after more than 1,600 domesticated birds, including chickens, geese, ducks and turkeys, died in the region. Victor Yushchenko held an emergency government meeting. A special Commission to deal with the epidemic was set up head by minister for emergency situations Victor Baloga. Ukrainian media reports that 25 million grivnas will be released from special funds to compensate local peasants for their losses. Puppet prime minister of the Crimea Anatoly Burdiugov said that the state would pay for every destroyed bird a market price. On-line edition of the Crimean Committee The Tavrichesky Kurier, quotes its reliable sources as saying that the compensation will vary from 10 to 15 grivnas a bird. It is lower than the price in open markets. Some peasants say they will slaughter their birds and can them for future use. The epidemic is dealing a tremendous blow to the poorest class of the Crimean population. For many residents in rural steppe regions poultry is an important source of food and some income. Few Crimeans believe that the Ukrainian regime will be efficient in combating the bird flu. Kiev’s failures may contribute to further growth of anti-Ukrainian feelings which already are running high in the pro-Russian Crimea.