Turkey's government will consider providing financial help to the $3 billion poultry sector following a nationwide outbreak of bird flu, Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener said on Saturday, according to Reuters. Three children have died from bird flu and 15 others have been infected since the outbreak began two weeks ago. Hundreds of thousands of wild birds and poultry have been culled and producers have seen demand plunge. "Bird flu has caused many economic problems in the sector," Sener told reporters ahead of a government meeting with representatives of the industry. "We are going to listen to the representatives of the sector and their demands ... We are going to search for the necessary measures that need to be taken," he said. Sener said the industry contributed $3 billion annually to gross domestic product, with annual poultry meat output at 914,000 tonnes in 2004. Exports stood at $35 million and imports at $21 million. Annual poultry meats consumption stood at 13 kg and 115 eggs per person.
