Vice governor takes lead in eating chicken amid H7N9 fears  

浙江副省長帶頭嘗冷鮮雞 稱吃雞安全別擔心(圖)

Zheng Jiwei (R), vice governor of Zhejiang province is eating dishes cooked with fresh chicken. (Photo source: China.com.cn)

(ECNS)-- The vice governor of Zhejiang province ate dishes cooked with fresh chicken on Thursday to show his confidence in the province's poultry industry amid the H7N9 panic, Qianjiang Evening News reported on Friday.

Zheng Jiwei and officials from the provincial agriculture department and health department were visiting a chicken processing plant in Fuyang city.

Zheng had a meal featuring dishes made from the chicken after he inspected the plant's poultry processing operations.

"I find that many people have stopped eating chicken, which means that they lack confidence in the poultry industry amid H7N9 fears," he said. "Chicken slaughtering and processing businesses should turn the crisis into opportunity and change the business mode."

The province will issue policy incentives to support the development of 20 major chicken processing plants.

Safety of chicken sold in stores will be guaranteed by a standardized quarantine process similar to one for pork, he said. "Fresh chicken is also better than the frozen one, since the former tastes better."

Live poultry markets in 11 cities in Zhejiang province will be permanently closed by July 1.

The notification comes as operations at many live poultry markets have been suspended amid a spike in the number of H7N9 bird flu cases.