Bird flu-hit poultry outfit closes

KOBE (Kyodo) A poultry farm operator at the center of a bird-flu scandal in Kyoto Prefecture has dismissed some 200 employees and closed its business, officials of the company said Friday.

Asada Nosan Co., based in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, has lost customers since the bird-flu outbreak at its chicken farm in Tanba, Kyoto Prefecture, in February.

The firm tried to scale down its business for reconstruction by disposing of some 1.77 million chickens at five farms it operates in Hyogo and Okayama prefectures.

But it has failed to recover egg-selling channels or find buyers for these farms due to the bad reputation it gained through the coverup scandal, the officials said.

Asada Nosan decided to dismiss all its employees and informed banks it deals with of its closure, they said.

The company and its president, Hideaki Asada, have been indicted for failing to report a possible bird-flu outbreak to local authorities, thereby violating the Domestic Animal Infectious Diseases Control Law.

Asada told reporters Friday, "I am sorry to have caused an irremediable situation."