Puri: The Directorate of Animal Husbandry has imposed a three-month ban on poultry farming in bird flu-affected areas of Odisha’s Puri.
The ban covers areas in Pipili, Delang, Nimapara, and Satyabadi. Poultry farming is forbidden within a 1-km radius of the affected zones, said sources.
As a preventive measure, transportation of chickens beyond a 10-km radius is not permitted. This aims at localising the virus and checking its spread to other areas.
Chicken samples from these areas will be tested every 15 days, and additional measures will be implemented if the H5N1 virus is detected. The authorities will monitor and reassess the situation further, sources added.
The Fisheries and Animal Resource department has already sealed 55 of 861 poultry farms in Pipili block and 64 of 344 farms in Delang block as part of its efforts to contain the spread of bird flu.
It may be noted that discovery of H5N1 strain led to extensive bird culling at by the local authorities following orders of Odisha government.
