As biosafety measures are being followed at the poultry farms in Namakkal to prevent any outbreak of avian flu, there is no reason for panic at the moment, officials from Animal Husbandry Department said.
Suspected cases of avian flu were reported in Kerala recently. However, poultry farmers here said they had been practising all safety protocols in their farms to prevent bird flu cases.
Namakkal is the major poultry hub in the country and there are over 1,000 farms in the district. Though farms here have been doing business with Kerala, the farm bodies here said the recent reports had not majorly affected the trade with the State.
P. Selvaraj, regional chairman of National Egg Coordinating Committee, said about 40 lakh eggs were being supplied to Kerala and those loads were being sent as usual. He added that they did not receive any feed or other goods from Kerala to farms here.
A senior official in the department said, “at present, there are no confirmed reports of avian flu outbreak in Kerala and hence, there is no need to panic at the moment. However, farms here are advised to follow biosafety measures such as disinfecting the premises, clearing faecal matter and dead birds.”
