BISHA – People of a Bisha village claim they have been suffering from skin rashes and scabies because of poultry farms that have surrounded their villages for over two decades. Villagers in Al-Hufairah said they have to endure strong odors from the farms every day, which is forcing some of them to move away. The odors and skin diseases have also spread to villages near Al-Hufairah, they said. A spokesman for the Bisha agricultural directorate said the farms were granted licenses a long time ago before people came to live in the area. He said: “We've issued a decision not renew the license of any farm that has been operating for 25 years.” He added that the nearby poultry farms do not have any live chickens in them. One of the residents said some houses are only two kilometers away from these poultry farms. Although villagers have requested the directorate several times to move the farms away from the village, which has a population of around 3,000, the directorate has simply ignored them, he added. Another resident said these farms are in breach of the Ministry of Agriculture's regulations, which stipulate that poultry farms should be built 10 kilometers away from residential areas. Rashed Al-Zahrani has had to take his sons to several hospitals as they were suffering from skin rashes and diseases. He also moved to another house because his family could not stand the strong odors coming from the nearby farms, so they moved. He called on the authorities to provide proper treatment for his sons' dermatological diseases and compensate him for his medical costs and the moving expenses. The farms have also had a negative impact on the environment and other farms, said the villagers. Some farms have been affected by poultry waste carried to them by floods. A local school principal said his students are prone to asthma and skin allergies because of the strong odors that have spread throughout the school.
