ANKARA, Jan 17: Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told his countrymen on Tuesday it was safe to eat chicken despite an outbreak of bird flu in the country which has killed four children and led to the culling of around one million birds.

“There is no need to worry about consuming poultry and eggs that have been produced in industrial conditions,” Mr Erdogan told a gathering of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP).

“There is no advantage in harming our poultry sector which employs thousands of people. It is very important for Turkey to remain calm,” he said.

Poultry sales have plunged since the latest outbreak of avian flu in Turkey was reported in late December. Experts say chicken and eggs pose no health threat if properly cooked.

Slaughtering and defeathering a diseased bird pose the greatest risk of the virus passing to people. The four dead children and the 17 other people treated for the virus all had close contact with sick birds.

The financial impact of the disease has so far been mainly confined to the poultry sector. However, the Milliyet newspaper said on Tuesday it could eventually cost the country some $3 billion, or one percent of gross national product (GNP).

The government fears that failure to stamp out the disease quickly could harm the $20 billion tourism industry.

CULLING METHODS: Health Minister Recep Akdag rejected criticism that the government failed to react quickly to the outbreak, which first hit poultry in western Turkey in October.