The Hindu Business Line : No avian flu, no need for vaccine, says Venkateshwara Hatcheries chief

"DO not panic, do not inject yourselves with influenza or any other vaccine as you will show positive and then blame the chicken. You do not need any vaccine and there is no avian influenza in the country, and I appeal to the Government not to bring in any AI vaccine into the country. I will fight tooth and nail if they bring the vaccine."

This is the statement issued by Ms Anuradha Desai, Chairperson of the Rs 1,300-crore Venkateshwara Hatcheries.

Talking to presspersons, she said the disease investigation section, Western Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Maharashtra State has also stated that samples collected from the outbreak at Diamond Poultry Farm in Navapur in Nandurbar district, also have shown that it has the characteristics of Ranikhet disease.

Ms Desai also pointed out that "it is unlikely that Avian flu can come to India. The farmers in Nandurbar are supposed to sell off their bird stock after 72 weeks. But instead the birds were kept for 90 weeks, thereby, reducing their immunity levels."

She also pointed out that Dr J.M. Kataria, Head of the Department of Avian Diseases, Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), had visited Navapur four days ago accompanied by Dr Shah, Assistant Commissioner (Animal Health), Government of India, and other scientists. Dr Kataria, she said, had visited a number of farms and had conducted post-mortem examination of the birds and "he has declared it in front of even the electronic channels, that it was Ranikhet disease and birdflu is thousands of miles away."

Ms Desai has also stated that the poultry farmers in India have strongly opposed the proposal of planning to import 1.5 million doses of bird flu vaccine of H5N1 strain as a precaution. She pointed out that India is totally free of this disease and not even a single case of AI (avian influenza) has been reported in any part of the country.

"If the virus is imported through import of vaccine, it will place the entire poultry industry at grave risk and expose the industry to a deadly disease which does not exist in our country."

Export hit: The first export consignment of fresh chicken from the country seems to have hit a stumbling block because of the panic that has been created by the Avian influenza. The export order valued at Rs 5 crore per month is from the Japanese market and Venkateshwara Hatcheries is the first one to have bagged the order of export of fresh chicken. Ms Desai, however, noted that "this is only a temporary phase and our customers who know the quality will come back after this." She said chicken nuggets and eggs have been shipped across.

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