Bird flu likely to affect poultry export

New Delhi, Mar 7: The recent outbreak of bird flu in some parts of the country is likely to affect India's poultry meat export, with the US and Bangladesh already having banned it, the Lok Sabha was informed today (Mar 7, 2006).

In a written reply, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jairam Ramesh also informed that several steps had been taken to contain bird flu, which included culling and stamping out of all domestic poultry within a radius of three to four kms of the affected area followed by thoroughly disinfecting the premises.

On improving export of poultry products, the minister said the government had taken measures in this direction like specification of standards, monitoring of pesticide residues, financial assistance to exporters for developmental and export promotional activities and development of infrastucture among others.

The Minister said Saudi Arabia and Japan had also banned poultry meat from India. ''However, it is difficult to assess the loss of foreign exchange on account of such a ban at this stage,'' he added.

The government had also taken certain other measures to contain bird flu, inclding vaccination of all poultry in an area of about six to seven km around the zone of culling and stamping out, movement control within the infected zone and intensification of surveillance in the entire country.

UNI