The Hindu : `Poultry meat, eggs safe in India'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 05, 2004

National

National

`Poultry meat, eggs safe in India'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, FEB. 4. A meeting between officials of the Central Government and the State Government to review the situation on bird flu or the avian influenza here has declared that the consumption of poultry meat and eggs within the country is "safe'' as there is no evidence of the occurrence of the highly pathogenic avian influenza in India. No case of bird flu has been reported in the country.

The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Animal Husbandry Department from West Bengal, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Karnataka, representatives of the poultry industry and experts from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute and the Veterinary College, Ludhiana.

The Centre has taken safety measures by imposing a ban on the import of poultry and poultry-related products and issued guidelines to the States for implementation. The Agriculture Ministry has advised various State agencies to organise awareness camps for farmers and consumers.

The meeting, which took stock of the situation in the wake of bird flu in the South East Asian countries, noted that the scientific surveillance and monitoring data available from the country including the border States, indicated that India was free from the avian influenza. However, they stressed the need for more vigilance and preparedness in view of the occurrence of the avian influenza in Pakistan.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National