MOEA to compensate live chicken vendors

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on March 21, 2006. It reports that the Ministry of Economic Affairs recently decided to allocate a budget of NT$259.8 million as compensation to live chicken vendors who may suffer losses as a result of the government's ban on live chicken butchery in traditional markets.

At present, there are about 1,700 live chicken vendors around Taiwan. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has set NT$150,000 as a ceiling on the compensation to be given to each vendor. So far, 523 vendors have expressed their willingness to cooperate with the government and stop live butchery.

The government is now preparing for a ban on live chicken butchery in traditional markets. The ban will be declared if the number of confirmed cases of human H5N1 infection is threatening the lives of Taiwan's citizens.

So far, there have been no such confirmed cases in Taiwan. However, the government still wants to remain cautious. According to the Animal Husbandry Law and the Law for the Prevention and Control of Contagious Diseases, the government is entitled to put a ban on live chicken butchery.