Bhubaneswar: In the wake of bird flu outbreak in Puri district, the West Bengal government has imposed a ban on the import of poultry products from Odisha.
Following the ban, the authorities have placed restrictions on the transportation of live poultry birds, eggs and other products from Odisha. Entry of vehicles carrying these products from Odisha has been completely prohibited by the neighbouring state, sources said.
Sources said movement of vehicles is being closely monitored at border check posts. Teams of police and Animal Husbandry department of the Bengal government are preventing entry of poultry birds and eggs from Odisha at the border posts. While consignments carrying birds from Andhra Pradesh are being allowed into Bengal, vehicles with Odisha registration number are being sent back.
Poultry farmers and traders in the state have expressed concern over West Bengal’s decision saying the ban will cause them huge financial loss. Bengal reportedly procures over 100 tonne poultry birds every day.
The state government has, meanwhile, assured the poultry farmers and traders that necessary steps are being taken to control the situation and mitigate the impact on local farmers. Poultry integrators have been asked to alert farmers associated with them to inform the local officials whenever they suspect any case of bird flu and must sanitise their farms.
The focus is to prevent the spread of bird flu to other areas. While bird flu is now limited to Puri, samples from Kendrapada have been sent for laboratory testing and the report is yet to be received, the sources added.
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