The Chinese government has issued regulations stating it will compensate all poultry farmers whose flocks are compulsorily slaughtered in the fight against bird flu.

The regulations on financial management of avian influenza control jointly issued by the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Agriculture also announced subsidies for farmers who vaccinate their birds whether compulsorily or voluntarily.

By law, all poultry within three kilometers of a suspected or confirmed bird flu site must be slaughtered and all poultry within five kilometers must be vaccinated.

The expenses of other quarantine and immunity measures will be shared by provincial, municipal and county-level financial departments.

Bird flu monitoring costs will be listed on central and local budgets. Areas with financial difficulties will receive assistance from the central government, the regulations stipulate.

The Ministry of Finance allocated the first batch of compensation on Jan. 30.

(Xinhua News Agency February 11, 2004)