(US-PR) Bird ban to affect cockfighting industry
Sally Tully-Figueroa
Posted: Friday, January 4, 2008 - 04:30 PM
By LAURA N. PÉREZ SÁNCEHZ
SAN JUAN (AP) - The prohibition of foreign birds entering Puerto Rico
could result in the suspension of some 100 cockfights and the loss of
several millions of dollars, which this sport contributes to the economy.
Recreation and Sports Department’s Office of Rooster Affairs Director
Carlos Quiñones said they already had to suspend the first fight scheduled
for next week, due to an imported birds ban was issued after 115 Bird Flu
cases were reported in the Dominican Republic. One foreign rooster was to
participate during the activity.
“Fighting roosters and exotic birds [are the most imported ones]. Chickens
come in fertilized eggs,” Figueroa said.
The official said chicken sales, which are bought for consumption, should
not be affected by the temporary restriction, because the industry only
imports eggs and raises the birds on the island.
The cockfighting industry –which holds 200,000 fights a year- contributes
between $700 and $800 million dollars a year to the Puerto Rican economy.
Quiñones said there are enough roosters in Puerto Rico to hold the fights,
even though he said they already had to cancel a fight programmed for next
week, where foreign roosters were going to participate.
On Thursday, the Department of Agriculture issued a ban of imported live
foreign birds, including those from the U.S., after fighting roosters from
the Dominican Republic were reported to have the Bird Flu.
The Dominican authorities have not found any more infected birds and
Figueroa said the ban could be lifted this week if no more cases are
reported.
Agriculture Secretary Gabriel Figueroa said the restriction could affect
the egg industry of the country, because they have a tendency of importing
chickens, which have not yet reached their reproductive stage.
Figueroa said the decision to prohibit the entrance of birds from all
over, when cases were only reported in the Dominican Republic, is due to
the fact it is still unknown if the infected animals came from other
places.
No Bird Flu cases have been reported in Puerto Rico.
At least 115 birds were sacrificed in the Dominican Republic after the
sanitary authorities detected the virus on Thursday at Higüey, 145
kilometers East of Santo Domingo.
http://www.puertoricowow.com/news/eng/news_detail.php?nt_id=17548&ct_id=1
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Sally
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