By IANS
Chennai : The National Egg Coordination Committee (NECC) has said there is no bird flu outbreak in Tamil Nadu and poultry from the state is safe for consumption.
In a statement issued from Namakkal, about 700 km from here, the NECC said poultry bred in the state is free from infection by the deadly H5N1 strain of the flu virus.
There are about 800 poultry farms in and around Namakkal where 30 million chickens are reared. These farms produce about 15 million eggs, of which five million are exported, mostly to Gulf countries.
R. Nallathampi, a NECC member, said: “We are carrying out regular checks and vaccinations to prevent the outbreak of bird flu.”
The NECC has asked the union government to create exclusive poultry zones in places like Nammakkal and step up measures for prevention of bird flu in such zones.
NECC chairperson Anuradha Desai has issued a statement asking poultry farmers not to panic.
The Tamil Nadu government is cautiously watching the outbreak of bird flu in West Bengal.
“We are not taking any chances,” said Minister for Animal Husbandry Geetha Jeevan, adding that all joint directors of her department have been asked to closely monitor the H5N1 virus outbreak in West Bengal.
The minister said Tamil Nadu has 200 rapid response teams manned by 2,500 trained people to handle any possible contingency and scare.
The poultry industry contributes Rs.360 billion to the national economy and employs 3.5 million people.
Union Agriculture Minister Shard Pawar said India has not received any advisory on its exports being banned from the OIE (World Animal Health Organisation) and the International Egg Commission.