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The government decided to take drastic measures on Thursday to prevent the spread of deadly bird flu. To start with, it promptly dispatched 200 soldiers to Gimje, North Jeolla Province, to cull chickens and ducks infected with avian influenza. If local governments request military assistance, the central government will send additional soldiers.
Also, poultry farmers in the affected regions can defer tax payment for up to nine months. The damage caused to the poultry farmers will be taken into consideration and will be deducted when calculating income and corporate taxes.
This decision came in a ministerial meeting chaired by Prime Minister Han Seung-soo. Cho Won-dong, deputy minister for administration affairs at the Prime Minister¡¯s Office, said because it is crucial to get avian flu under control within the week, the government ¡°decided to accelerate preventive measures.¡± Cho added it is the first time that military forces have been committed to killing poultry infected with bird flu.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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