JCP advice bears fruit in government steps to compensate poultry farmers

The government on March 16 adopted emergency measures against the spread of avian flu, including giving poultry farmers compensation for financial losses and stricter obligations on reporting an outbreak of the disease.

These steps reflect the effort the Japanese Communist Party has made since the first detection on January 12 through independent field studies and representations to the government.

Kami Tomoko, head of the JCP Dietmembers' group on agricultural and fishery affairs, described the government measures as a reflection of the past JCP efforts. She added that the JCP will do its utmost in parliamentary discussions on revising the Domestic Animal Infectious Disease Control Law and on how to fund the required steps.

The government measures to prevent the spread of the epidemic include government subsidies for costs of keeping wild birds off henhouses, implementation of tests to detect the virus, examination of the infection routes by a joint inter-ministry team, and a stockpile of effective medicine. (end)