Poultry Producer Expects Determined Actions on Bird Flu
Poultry breeder Perutnina Ptuj expects the state and the EU to act in a determined manner regarding bird flu, chairman Roman Glaser told Agriculture Minister Marija Lukacic on Wednesday.
Glaser told Minister Lukacic, who made a stopover at Slovenia's largest poultry producer as part of the cabinet's visit to lower Podravje, that the sector will face serious difficulties due to the recent bird flu outbreak in Slovenia.
He is moreover convinced that the companies will be unable to compensate for the drop in sales by themselves; the company is currently experiencing a 15% drop in sales.
According to Glaser, various measures should be taken to convince customers that consuming heat-treated poultry is completely safe.
Lukacic meanwhile said that the state has only limited legal possibilities to compensate breeders and food-processing companies.
She also pointed out that she has proposed at the recent meeting of EU agriculture ministers that EU provide compensation payments for breeders and the food industry.
Lukacic moreover asked that payments be expanded to companies that export to the countries outside of the bloc, and called for an EU-sponsored public awareness campaign to inform consumers that it is safe to eat cooked poultry.
The Perutnina Ptuj group is one of the biggest employers in the region, having over 2,400 workers (1,900 in Slovenia alone).
It also cooperates with 450 breeders. If the state does not help the company, it should at least help them, Glaser said.
The company instituted the strictest possible measures in breeding poultry in 2005 and maintains regular contact with the veterinary administration.
Glaser also said that an expert group, including Perutnina Ptuj representatives, would be set up by the ministry next week in order to determine the exact amount of damages caused by bird flu in Slovenia.
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