Live poultry markets beyond health risks: Understanding consumer preferences for live poultry in South China.

Live poultry markets (LPMs) are veterinary and public health risks because of potential for zoonotic spillover of pathogens from diseased animals to humans. To control these health risks, veterinary and public health authorities in Asia, including China, have closed or restricted LPMs. In south China, however, LPM closure has been opposed or rendered infeasible by consumers who prefer to purchase live poultry. Previous scholarship has suggested this preference is due to cultural values of freshness. In this study, we present results from detailed interviews with shoppers in south China, including those who prefer live poultry and those who prefer pre-slaughtered poultry. We argue that broader concerns about food safety and quality, rather than freshness alone, drive the demand for LPMs. Live poultry provide sensory information that enable shoppers to evaluate safety and quality in ways that are not possible with pre-slaughtered, refrigerated meat. Based on these findings, we suggest that hygienic interventions into LPMs should recognize that not only freshness, but also trust, must be constructed and maintained in any intervention.

A Stakeholder Survey on Live Bird Market Closures Policy for Controlling Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in Vietnam.

Extensive research in Vietnam and elsewhere has shown that live bird markets (LBMs) play a significant role in the ecology and zoonotic transmission of avian influenzas (AIs) including H5N1 and H7N9. Vietnam has a large number of LBMs reflecting the consumer preferences for live poultry. Under pressure to mitigate risks for H7N9 and other zoonotic AIs, Vietnam is considering, among other mitigation measures, temporary closures of LBMs as a policy to reduce risk of AI outbreaks. However, the efficacy of market closure is debated, particularly because little is known about how poultry traders may react, and whether trading may emerge outside formal marketplaces. Combining efforts of anthropologists, economists, sociologists, and veterinarians can be useful to elucidate the drivers behind poultry traders' reactions and better understanding the barriers to implementing risk mitigation measures. In this paper, we present results from a stakeholder survey of LBM stakeholders in Vietnam. Our qualitative data show that trading outside formal markets is very likely to occur in the event of a temporary LBM market closure. Our data show that the poultry value chain in Vietnam remains highly flexible, with traders willing and able to trade poultry in many possible locations. Our results indicate that simplification of the poultry value chain along with strict enforcement, engagement of stakeholders, and adequate communication would be a necessary prerequisite before market closure could be an effective policy.