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Monday, Feb 04, 2008
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State unwilling to cull healthy birds

The government decides to write a letter to the Centre on the issue

Bhubaneswar: Reluctant to cull healthy chicken, the Orissa government on Sunday decided to convey to the Centre its opposition to the directive of killing all birds in the radius of five km bordering bird flu-affected West Bengal.

“The problem lies in West Bengal. It is unwise to look for a solution in Orissa,” a senior official said.

The State government decided to write a letter to the Union Agriculture Ministry. “We will certainly write to the Centre as killing of healthy birds is inhuman,” Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Service director B.P. Sethy said.

The Centre had asked Orissa and other states bordering West Bengal to cull all chicken within three days from Friday. Poultry farmers in the State were also opposed to the idea of culling birds in Orissa.

“Why should we kill our birds as there is no trace of H5N1 virus in the State,” asked a poultry farmer.

Tribals in the areas bordering West Bengal had been breeding exotic breeds of chicken since generations. There was no point in culling them, he said. The State government claimed that it had been successful in keeping the bird flu virus away from Orissa by taking precautionary steps at an appropriate time.

Entry points sealed

Fisheries and Animal Husbandry secretary H.K. Panda said all the entry points through road, rail and water were sealed ever since bird flu broke out in West Bengal.

Nearly 300 officials and doctors were working overtime to ensure that the virus did not enter the State.

“Our officials and doctors will be demoralised if birds are culled despite being healthy,” he said. Mr. Panda favoured preventive steps on the other side of Orissa border. He demanded more vaccines from the Centre in order to activate preventive measures in the State. -PTI

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