NASHIK: The
samples from eight more
poultry farms in
Nandurbar have tested positive for
avian influenza, taking the number of birds likely to be culled to around nine lakh, district guardian minister K C Padvi said.
He was in Nashik on Wednesday to attend a meeting with deputy chief minister
Ajit Pawar. Speaking to the reporters after the meeting, Padvi said the major challenge was to minimize the loss to the poultry owners.
“Currently, all the poultry farms where samples have been found positive are in the vicinity of each other. There are around 9.8 lakh birds in the vicinity, which will have to be culled. The exact number is being worked out,” Padvi said.
The samples from four poultry farms in Navapur taluka of Nandurbar were found positive on February 6 for the
H5N8 – a strain of
bird flu. The exercise of culling the birds is being carried out since then.
Animal husbandry commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh had also been to Nandurbar to monitor the process of the culling the birds and he asked the officers to continue sending samples of birds to laboratories for early detection of the virus.
Since these affected
poultries are in the vicinity of each other, the one-km radius culling zone, has been slightly extended.
The poultry farmers in the district have been informed to carry out all the biosecurity measures to ensure the virus does not spread.
“We are monitoring the developments closely. The panchanama of each of the birds culled and the eggs destroyed along with the quantity of feed to be destroyed is being carried out and the government will compensate the same,” Padvi said.
As many as 104 rapid reaction teams trained in culling exercise have been deployed at the poultries and are carrying out the exercise in scientific manner. District collector Rajendra Bharud also visited the places to monitor the culling of birds.