DA allocates P50M for assistance to poultry farmers affected by bird flu

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has allocated a total of P50 million for the assistance to poultry farmers whose chickens were affected by the outbreak of the avian influenza virus.

At a press conference, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel "Manny" Piñol said the DA will allocate some P50 million for assistance to poultry farmers in Pampanga.

"We will facilitate a financing package for the farmers so they can start all over again," he said.

"Farmers will be getting P25,000 - P5,000 grant, P20,000 will be a no collateral, no interest loan payable in two years," he added.

According to Piñol, the government will also be rolling out more financing programs in the short term, to provide further assistance to farmers.

"We also have to factor in the period the farmers will not be making any money, so this is where the government will be coming in," he said.

"We will come out with livelihood packages for them. I'm planning to go there tomorrow," he added.

This comes after an outbreak of the avian influenza Type A subtype H5 was reported on Friday in a poultry farm in Barangay San Agustin in San Luis, Pampanga.

The outbreak was said to have happened first in a quail farm in the area before it spread to nearby farms.

The DA has since ordered the quarantine of the affected areas, including the culling of all poultry and related birds within a one-kilometer radius.

According to Piñol, the government will also be paying P80 per head of chicken culled during the process. — RSJ, GMA News