We are safe says poultry industry

Our Economic Bureau
31 January 2004

Mumbai: The Rs 7,500 crore Indian poultry industry is gearing up to step up its exports to the western markets which have banned poultry imports from the affected regions, following the outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu) in South-East Asia and Pakistan. This was disclosed by representatives of the Indian poultry industry at a joint press conference held in Mumbai to reassure consumers of the safety of the country's poultry products

Why India is safe

Indian farms are smaller and scattered
We follow all-in-all-out system of rearing
Life span of broilers is only 6 weeks
Incubation period of the virus is only 5 days
As there is a gap of 20 to 30 days between subsequent batches, the existence of live virus is almost nil
Wild or migratory birds from any of these two countries cannot reach India within the life span of the virus
Even if some migratory birds do enter India, they are unlikely to access hatcheries, due to their preferances for natural habitats.

The advent of bird flu seems to have translated into an opportunity for Indian poultry exports to neighbouring countries and the industry has received several urgent enquiries from many West Asian countries for their requirement of chicken and table eggs. This is because Indian chicken is considered safe for human consumption since the country is self-sufficient in poultry and poultry products and does not import any live bird / live vaccines or dressed meat.

Moreover, the virus spreads only though air and that too for distances up to two to three km only. Therefore, the possibility of Indian poultry contracting the virus is extremely remote, despite Pakistan's proximity to India since the pathogen reported there is of the low risk variety.

However, the industry is taking all precautions to ensure that it stays free from the bird flu contagion. Some of the measures adopted by the organized sector include strengthening the existing bio-security measures in farms, hatcheries, feed mills, transport mode and storages. Also veterinarians are constantly working towards checking the birds regularly at diagnostic labs to ensure that every chicken sold is healthy and safe to consume.

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