The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : Compartmentalise poultry units, State urges Central government

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Thursday, Dec 18, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Compartmentalise poultry units, State urges Central government

Special Correspondent

This will allow units in Tamil Nadu to continue exports

Pongalur N. Palanisamy

CHENNAI: The State government has asked the Centre to push for compartmentalisation of poultry units to protect poultry product exporters in the State.

Whenever there is a bird flu attack in any part of the country, exports from poultry units in the State are affected even though the units are free from infection. Compartmentalisation would allow these units to continue their exports.

Talking to reporters here on Wednesday, Minister for Animal Husbandry Pongalur N. Palanisamy said Collectors of Coimbatore, Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri, Salem, Namakkal and Erode would be meeting in Coimbatore on December 26 to work out modalities of the compartmentalisation. It could be at block, district or State level.

The State’s proposal would be forwarded by the Centre to the Office of Internationale Epizootis, France, which had to clear the compartmentalisation.

The Minister said every day, about Rs.1-crore worth of eggs were being exported to Dubai, Eden, African and Asian countries from Tamil Nadu. This had registered a fall after the bird flu attack in Assam and West Bengal.

Ruling out bird flu in Tamil Nadu, the Minister said about 800 blood samples of birds were being sent to Bio-Security Level (BSL) laboratory in Bangalore periodically. As the State was the second largest poultry centre in the country, the Centre was setting up a BSL level IV lab in Kancheepuram district at a cost of Rs.75 crore.

To avoid the spread of bird flu to the State, check posts had been set up in five places along the borders to check whether birds and poultry feed brought from other States had strains of the disease.

The State had written to Southern Railway General Manager asking the zone to suspend unloading of poultry feed from Assam and West Bengal.

Officials had been asked to keep a watch on bird sanctuaries in the State.

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