Haryana govt finally starts culling of birds hit by Avian Influenza in Panchkula’s poultry belt

The Haryana government on Saturday launched an operation to cull chickens in Panchkula-based poultry farms where the birds tested positive for Avian Influenza (H5N8) in samples taken by the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal on Friday.

Teams of Animal Husbandry and Dairying department kick-started the operation from Kheri village in Raipur Rani block of Panchkula district this afternoon.

According to reports, the culling was carried out by personnel wearing PPT kits at Sidharth Poultry Farm in Kheri village and the carcasses were buried underground with the help of earth moving machines.

The state government has already ordered culling of 1,66,128 birds at five bird flu-hit poultry farms in the Raipur Rani-Barwala poultry belt in Panchkula district.

Panchkula Deputy Commissioner Mukesh Ahuja admitted that the culling operation was delayed as it took time to put the logistics and support staff in place in the areas. He claimed that the five teams have been constituted to execute the operation in the poultry farms in the infected zone. The teams have been provided with support staff and police protection.

Meanwhile, poultry farmers of the area have demanded that only flu-affected birds should be culled and the farms where bird flu tests reports were negative should be exempted from the culling. “The government should allow for the vaccination of birds like most other countries. Indonesia and Vietnam have developed the vaccine as it can protect the industry from outbreaks,” they said.

Haryana Government has declared the area within a radius of one-kilometre from the two poultry farms, where poultry birds have tested positive for Avian Influenza (H5N8) positive as “Infected Zone” and the area from 1 km to 10 km as “Surveillance Zone”.

State Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister J.P. Dalal said the areas within one-kilometre radius of infected poultry farms namely, 'Siddharth Poultry Farm' at village Kheri in Panchkula district and 'Nature Poultry Farm, Dandlaver' located in village Ganauli were declared as “infected-zone”. Furthermore, the area within the radius of 1 to 10 kms has been declared as a “surveillance zone”. He said that to prevent the spread of this disease to other areas, check-posts have been set up in the infected areas by the government.

The owners of the poultry farms where culling is being carried out will be given a compensation of Rs. 90 per bird.