Hanoi (VNA) - Tonnes of poultry are illegally traded andslaughtered daily in Hanoi’s markets raising public concern over the spread ofavian influenza in the capital.

The Animal Health Department under the Ministry of Agriculture andRural Development said despite avian flu has not been so far recorded in thecity, there was a risk of infection, especially when outbreaks were reported inneighbouring provinces of Nam Dinh and Bac Ninh.

Moreover, the department said that between 1 and 7 percent ofhealthy poultry carry the A/H5N1 and A/H5N6 virus. Temporary markets were oneof the places prone to spread of the virus.

Bui Dac Hai, deputy head of the Station for Animal Health inChuong My district, said the slaughtering in the markets certainly did noteffectively prevent the spread of epidemic.

The station has regularly inspected poultry sellers and remindedthem of the risk of disease outbreaks. However, he said, it was necessary toget help from the city’s authorised agencies to make the supervision effective.

At Thach Bich temporary market on National Highway 21B in ThanhOai district, some 10 households sell live poultry and some even slaughter thefowl on the spot to serve customer requests.

A poultry seller identified only as Thanh spoke to Economicsand Urban newspaper, saying that although the demand for ducks and chicken hasdropped due to concern over avian flu, which has appeared in other parts of Vietnam,she could sell about 50 chickens and ducks per day.

"I mainly buy and resell chickens, ducks sold inwholesale markets, so consumers need not worry about sick poultry," shesaid.

In Chuc Son market in Chuong My district a separate area has beenallocated for poultry trading, but it has failed to meet safety and hygieneregulations. The area was dirty. Chickens and ducks were locked in a largecage. One pot of boiling water was used for slaughtering all the poultry, andslaughters did not wear gloves.

Hanh, a poultry seller, said she does not wear gloves whenslaughtering poultry. She admitted that sometimes her poultry, as well as othersellers’, were sick. Most were purchased in nearby markets, such as Got Marketin Dong Son village and Gom Market in Huu Van commune, she added.

Currently, there are more than 400 markets in the city, includingtwo major markets for poultry - Ha Vy in Thuong Tin district and Bac Thang Longin Dong Anh. In Ha Vy market alone, 15-17 tonnes of live poultry aretransported from other provinces to the market every day.

Nguyen Ngoc Son, deputy director of the city’s Sub-department ofAnimal Health, admitted that  authorised agencies, local authorities andanimal health forces are unable to curb all the slaughtering in local marketsbecause many traders operate on a small scale and move continuously to avoidinspectors.

In addition, the fines for violators of between 2-3 million VNDwere light and the enforcement was lax.

Son said the sub-department has asked the districts’ veterinarystations to focus more closely on the prevention of bird flu. It has encouragedpeople to immediately notify the markets’ management boards of poultry withoutclear orgin transported into their localities.

The sub-department also organise disinfection of the markets.

He added that the Ministry of Industry and Trade is collectingopinions on its draft regulations on food markets. Trading in live cattle andpoultry, and slaughtering activities in the markets, would be banned completelyunder the new regulations.-VNA