Under the memorandum of understanding, the countries will open a bird flu centre in Indonesia's Baten province. The cenre will focus on preventing further H5N1 outbreaks by acting on a more localised level.

Success for the project is vital for Indonesia's poultry processors as growing concern over the presence of avian influenza entering the human food supply chain continues to affect sales.

The issue is also prevalent for the wider Asia Pacific region, with concerns that any future Indonesian outbreak could spread to their own flocks.

As such, the centre, which is part of a trilaterally funded $4.5m pilot project with the US, will aim to focus Indonesia's national bird flu strategy specifically at the local level.

Depending on its performance, further centres may later be rolled out throughout the country to ensure all regions are protected.

The announcement will also be welcomed by the World Health Organisation, which has previously criticised officials in the country for falling behind its Asian neighbours in preventing the spread of the disease.

According to estimates by Indonesian officials, 75 people have so far been killed in the country by avian influenza, leading to a dearth of confidence in the safety of the country's poultry production.

Besides the human cost, this decreased confidence has also been felt strongly within the poultry industry.

In a report by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) earlier this year, Indonesia's ongoing problems with avian influenza were found to be adversely affecting poultry meat sales.

"In spite of a safe chicken consumption campaign, media coverage of the avian influenza victims has caused severe declines in poultry consumption," stated the report. "People are afraid to consume poultry and are reportedly switching to beef, fish, tempe, and tofu as protein sources."

The USDA added that in January this year, broiler sales in Jakarta alone dropped by about 40 per cent to 50 per cent.