Thousands of ducklings deemed unfit for human consumption following China's latest bird flu outbreak are being sold as live snake food.
Poultry farmers have resorted to selling truckloads of the newly-hatched ducklings to snake farms for a few pence each after 14 deaths in China were blamed on the lethal H7N9 virus.
One duck farmer said of the creatures' unpleasant fate: 'It's either this or we just gas them all', while others told how they have been forced to incinerate thousands of the unwanted ducklings.
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Bird flu outbreak: Tiny unwanted ducklings are seen being flung into an incinerator at a farm in China's Fujian province
Last resort: Farmers are selling thousands of baby ducks as snake food as the latest bird flu outbreak takes its toll on the poultry sector
The strain is known to have infected a total of 63 people in China, but no human-to-human spread of the virus has been confirmed.
A 77-year-old woman, who had earlier tested positive for the virus, died on Sunday in eastern Jiangsu province, bringing the death toll to 14 according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Authorities have slaughtered thousands of birds and closed live poultry markets in Shanghai and Beijing in an attempt to reduce the rate of human infection and allay growing fears about the H7N9 virus.
Disposal: This photograph shows unwanted ducklings being fed into an incinerator at a poultry farm in Fujian province
Virus: The lethal H7N9 virus has infected more than 60 people in China
Duck farmer Shen Lin said of the decision to sell ducklings to snake farms: 'It's not a nice end for the baby ducks but they were raised as food.
'They weren't going to live on a pond for the rest of their natural lives. It's either this or we just gas them all.'
A snake farmer said: 'It is sad for the bird farmers but good news for us. Not all bad luck is bad for all.'
Crisis: The newly-hatched ducklings are being sold by the truckload to snake farms like this one in Zhangzhou, Fujian province
Snake food: One duck farmer said 'it's either this or we just gas them all'
At other poultry farms across China thousands of baby ducks were seen being flung into incinerators as workers struggled to get rid of the creatures they can no longer sell.
The country's poultry sector has recorded losses of more than 10billion yuan since reports emerged of a new strain of bird flu two weeks ago, an official at China's National Poultry Industry Association said today.
Slaughtered: Thousands of newly-hatched ducklings have been cremated at a farm in China, which is in the grip of a bird flu outbreak
Banned: Authorities have slaughtered thousands of birds and closed poultry markets in Shanghai and Beijing
Sad scenes: A worker wearing a face mask tips a basket full of ducklings into an incinerator at a poultry farm in Fujian province
Toll: Duck farmers say they are being forced to cremate thousands of the ducklings daily
Most of the cases to date have been in eastern China, where poultry consumption is down by more than half, according to Liu Yonghao, president of the New Hope Group, the country's largest producer of animal feed.
The governments of central Anhui province and the eastern city of Ningbo have offered financial help to poultry farmers, Xinhua said today.
The Ningbo government plans to give about 20 million yuan of subsidies to farmers who rear chickens, ducks and geese, while the Anhui government will give farmers lower interest payments on loans as well as tax breaks.
China is the world's second largest poultry market after the U.S., and poultry is the country's fastest growing meat sector. But a spate of food safety scandals in recent months has hurt consumer confidence in the industry.
Impact: Ducklings and shells are seen at the snake farm in Zhangzhou, Fujian province
Unwanted: A worker is seen shaking ducklings into a basket, left, while a group of the creatures bob in a pond (right) at the snake farm, where they will later be fed to the snakes
'Chicken prices are falling which will lead to losses for breeders,' Mr Liu said last week. 'There are more than 100 million farmers raising chickens who will need to be supported.'
The recent decline in demand is also having a negative impact on imported poultry.
'We thought that people would try to avoid domestic chicken, and have more preference for imported chicken, but this is not the case. Across the board, people are being more cautious,' said Sarah Li, director of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council's Hong Kong office.
'According to our importers, [wholesale] sales for both imported and domestic chicken products have declined by 80 percent.'
Surplus: Authorities in China have slaughtered thousands of birds and closed live poultry markets in Beijing and Shanghai to try and allay fears over the outbreak
Truckloads: A 77-year-old woman known to have tested positive for the virus died on Sunday, according to China's news agency
Fears: The latest outbreak of avian flu in China has had a devastating impact on the country's poultry farms
Poultry farmers have resorted to selling truckloads of the newly-hatched ducklings to snake farms for a few pence each after 14 deaths in China were blamed on the lethal H7N9 virus.
One duck farmer said of the creatures' unpleasant fate: 'It's either this or we just gas them all', while others told how they have been forced to incinerate thousands of the unwanted ducklings.
Scroll down for video
Bird flu outbreak: Tiny unwanted ducklings are seen being flung into an incinerator at a farm in China's Fujian province
Last resort: Farmers are selling thousands of baby ducks as snake food as the latest bird flu outbreak takes its toll on the poultry sector
The strain is known to have infected a total of 63 people in China, but no human-to-human spread of the virus has been confirmed.
A 77-year-old woman, who had earlier tested positive for the virus, died on Sunday in eastern Jiangsu province, bringing the death toll to 14 according to the official Xinhua news agency.
Authorities have slaughtered thousands of birds and closed live poultry markets in Shanghai and Beijing in an attempt to reduce the rate of human infection and allay growing fears about the H7N9 virus.
Disposal: This photograph shows unwanted ducklings being fed into an incinerator at a poultry farm in Fujian province
Virus: The lethal H7N9 virus has infected more than 60 people in China
Duck farmer Shen Lin said of the decision to sell ducklings to snake farms: 'It's not a nice end for the baby ducks but they were raised as food.
'They weren't going to live on a pond for the rest of their natural lives. It's either this or we just gas them all.'
A snake farmer said: 'It is sad for the bird farmers but good news for us. Not all bad luck is bad for all.'
Crisis: The newly-hatched ducklings are being sold by the truckload to snake farms like this one in Zhangzhou, Fujian province
Snake food: One duck farmer said 'it's either this or we just gas them all'
At other poultry farms across China thousands of baby ducks were seen being flung into incinerators as workers struggled to get rid of the creatures they can no longer sell.
The country's poultry sector has recorded losses of more than 10billion yuan since reports emerged of a new strain of bird flu two weeks ago, an official at China's National Poultry Industry Association said today.
Slaughtered: Thousands of newly-hatched ducklings have been cremated at a farm in China, which is in the grip of a bird flu outbreak
Banned: Authorities have slaughtered thousands of birds and closed poultry markets in Shanghai and Beijing
Sad scenes: A worker wearing a face mask tips a basket full of ducklings into an incinerator at a poultry farm in Fujian province
Toll: Duck farmers say they are being forced to cremate thousands of the ducklings daily
Most of the cases to date have been in eastern China, where poultry consumption is down by more than half, according to Liu Yonghao, president of the New Hope Group, the country's largest producer of animal feed.
The governments of central Anhui province and the eastern city of Ningbo have offered financial help to poultry farmers, Xinhua said today.
The Ningbo government plans to give about 20 million yuan of subsidies to farmers who rear chickens, ducks and geese, while the Anhui government will give farmers lower interest payments on loans as well as tax breaks.
China is the world's second largest poultry market after the U.S., and poultry is the country's fastest growing meat sector. But a spate of food safety scandals in recent months has hurt consumer confidence in the industry.
Impact: Ducklings and shells are seen at the snake farm in Zhangzhou, Fujian province
Unwanted: A worker is seen shaking ducklings into a basket, left, while a group of the creatures bob in a pond (right) at the snake farm, where they will later be fed to the snakes
'Chicken prices are falling which will lead to losses for breeders,' Mr Liu said last week. 'There are more than 100 million farmers raising chickens who will need to be supported.'
The recent decline in demand is also having a negative impact on imported poultry.
'We thought that people would try to avoid domestic chicken, and have more preference for imported chicken, but this is not the case. Across the board, people are being more cautious,' said Sarah Li, director of the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council's Hong Kong office.
'According to our importers, [wholesale] sales for both imported and domestic chicken products have declined by 80 percent.'
Surplus: Authorities in China have slaughtered thousands of birds and closed live poultry markets in Beijing and Shanghai to try and allay fears over the outbreak
Truckloads: A 77-year-old woman known to have tested positive for the virus died on Sunday, according to China's news agency
Fears: The latest outbreak of avian flu in China has had a devastating impact on the country's poultry farms