Animal Husbandry Department has taken all precautionary measures to prevent the entry of poultry products into the district from the neighbouring Telangana where the respective government has imposed a ban on chicken and eggs in view of bird flu.
The district has around 550 poultry farms, which rear both layers and broilers varieties “The district has ideal population density of birds at isolated farms. Most of the farms which export birds to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are following fool-proof bio-security measures. The farms have stocks of more than 1.5 crore birds,” Animal Husbandry Department Joint Director M. Srinivasa Rao told The Hindu .
The department has set up a check-post near Kurnool to keep a strict vigil on the vehicles carrying poultry products and to prevent the stocks entering the district from Hyderabad.
The movement of such vehicles between Mulakalacheruvu (Chittoor district) and Karnataka border are also being monitored.
Till a few days ago, the Tamil Nadu officials were not allowing the stocks from the district for the bird flu issue. “The problem has been solved as the products from Chittoor district have been proven safe,” he said.
Further, the department is taking other measures too to prevent the infection. “Apart from the domestic vehicles leaving for neighbouring States, all trucks entering Chittoor from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are being thoroughly disinfected,” he said.
Dr. Rao further said that review meetings were underway from time to time to monitor the check-posts and disinfecting processes at poultry farms. “We are also in touch with the farm operators and no complaint of bird flu has been reported so far.
They are well responding to our awareness drive on the precautions to keep their farms safe from the virus,” he said.
The official attributed the fall in the exports of poultry birds from Chittoor district to the encouragement of the industry in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and other Northern States.
