Aspects of poultry health in China

Abstract

Within the process of rural reform initiated in the early 1980s there has been a remarkable increase in the size of the Chinese poultry industry – some estimates indicate a tenfold growth between the start of the decade and 1987. The review covers aspects of the industry's structure and compares the relatively simple poultry health situation of former years with the more diverse and challenging problems of today. The organization of poultry health diagnostic and other services, together with poultry health research and training provision, are described. For the years ahead, attention is drawn to a number of necessary developments. These include the need for attitudes and practices to change, to bring about, in particular, greater integration between management and husbandry decisions and measures designed to promote good health. As part of the process major objectives are to improve education and training and to increase the number of those with specialized knowledge and skills in the field of poultry health. Greater international liaison and collaboration are likely to play a vital part in helping to bring the Chinese poultry industry up to the level of the most advanced countries. In the area of research there is an urgent need to establish an independent poultry health research institute that could take the lead in helping to co-ordinate the research being conducted in many different establishments throughout the country.

Keywords::

• China
• health
• industry
• organization
• poultry
• research
• structure
• training