The Ministry of Agricultural and Development (MoAD) informed that the government decided to execute a blanket culling of chickens in Bhaktapur as the bird flu outbreaks showed no sign of abating even four weeks after the first outbreak in the Kathmandu Valley.
Spokesperson for MoAD Prabhakar Pathak said MoAD declared the district as bird flu emergency zone because as many as 40 poultry farms have been affected by bird flu in the district so far. He also said that an assessment by the National Avian Disease Investigation Laboratory showed that more than 90 percent of poultry farms in the district are at a high risk of contracting bird flu. [break]
“The disease investigation authorities have also reported that the diseases may spread in other parts of the country if not brought under control at the earliest,” he said.
As the district has been declared bird flu emergency zone, the Department of Livestock Services (DLS), in the first phase, will demarcate infected areas in the district and take necessary steps by Thursday, said Narayan Ghimire, spokesperson at the Directorate of Animal Health (DOAH).
With the demarcation of the areas, as many as 10 teams will be fanned out in various parts of the district to cull chickens and destroy other poultry products, said Pathak. He also said that apart from culling chickens, the teams will also disinfect the farms.
“It has been found that chicken manure is being transported to other districts for agricultural purposes. The government will not allow transport of such infectious materials until the areas come out of danger, said Pathak.
According to him, all the poultry farms will be sealed for at least three months unless the DLS submits another report.
Likewise, MoAD has also banned import and export of poultry products in and out of the district. He said the government will provide compensation to the poultry farmers in the district as per Bird Flu Disease Control Order, 2064 BS.
Following discussion between the Department of Livestock Services and Poultry Entrepreneurs Federation, the government earlier had decided to put on hold its decision to declare the district an emergency zone.
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