In a massive exercise, as many as 9 lakh hens from 26 poultry farms will be culled in Navapur tehsil of the tribal Nandurbar district to prevent the spread of bird flu. The process began after the disease was detected in the samples from the tehsil. Of the 1.45 lakh poultry birds from four farms in the 1 km radius, the district administration, on Sunday, destroyed 32,000 hens. The balance will be done in the next four to five days. The eggs will also be simultaneously destroyed.
The Department of Animal Husbandry has deployed 100 teams to cull poultry birds in Navapur tehsil, which houses a large number of poultry farms. A major poultry hub, the tehsil exports hens to adjoining districts as well as in Gujarat. Each team consists of four veterinary department staff and two revenue department employees.
Officers of the Animal Husbandry Department from other districts, such as Dhule and Jalgaon, are being sourced. The medicines required for the safety of the employees have also been stockpiled in Navapur.
The Animal Husbandry Commissioner has been keeping an eye on the development. Nandurbar district Collector Dr Rajendra Bharud said, “The culling of hens from four poultry farms began today. In all, 1.45 lakh hens will be destroyed in the next four to five days. The administration has found cases of mortality in 22 other poultry farms. Samples have been sent for testing to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal and Disease Investigation Section in Pune. If the reports are positive, the administration will undertake the culling of hens from these 22 other poultry farms.” As reported by the Free Press Journal, nearly 20,000 poultry birds were found dead on February 3.
