Ludhiana: Committee set up to ensure culling of poultry birds after confirmed Avian Influenza cases

After the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal on Friday confirmed Avian Influenza in the samples of birds at Suba Singh Poultry farm in Kila Raipur here, Deputy Commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma constituted a nine-member committee to begin and oversee culling of poultry birds and containment operations at the earliest.

"Punjab government has notified the poultry farm as an infected area on the outbreak of avian influenza among its birds," the Deputy Commissioner said in an official statement.

He further informed that Additional Deputy Commissioner (Khanna) Sakatar Singh Bal would be chairman of the panel while other officials including SDM, ADCP, Deputy Director Animal Husbandry, would ensure culling and containment operations smoothly.

"Within 0-1km area around epicentre of disease in the poultry farm has been declared an infected zone and 0-10 km area around poultry farm has been designated as surveillance zone," Sharma said.

Furthermore, he said that the committee would ensure no live/dead birds, unprocessed poultry meat, Eggs, feeds or any material/goods taken out and brought into poultry farm besides no person would bring or attempt to bring into the market any poultry product which is known to be infected with the disease into the infected zone.

"Culling to be undertaken at the infected area by the team of experts wearing proper kits or other mandatory protocol to be followed for stopping the spread of the virus further sampling would also be carried out by the experts in the contained zone," Sharma added.

Meanwhile the committee headed by ADC Khanna Sakkatar Singh took the stock of situation outside poultry farm and gave directions to the committee members to start the culling process to be completed in the next few days.

He also cleared the role of committee members to complete the process safely, smoothly and hassle-free manner.

( With inputs from ANI )