Poultry farmers in and around Alappuzha are up in arms against the move to ban the sale and transportation of birds in avian flu surveillance zones till March 2025.
An expert panel of Kerala government, which studied the bird flu outbreak in Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts, suggested the ban as a containment measure against the spread of the disease. It also recommended that no new ducks or chickens should be restocked until March 2025 and to close down hatcheries in surveillance zones, including in government farms.
Describing the ban as “chopping the head for treating headache”, B Rajasekharan, President of Alappuzha District Duck Farmers’ Cooperative Society, said the ban would put the poultry farming in the area in disarray, impacting the livelihood of farmers and destroying the sector. Hundreds of farmers in these areas by rearing broiler chicken and ducks and a complete ban would affect not only their business but also those working in the allied sectors.
The duck business in Kuttanad region alone would be of 50 crore in a single season. Instead of ascertaining the real cause of spreading bird flu, he said the expert panel concluded the report with speculations. The avian flu was first detected in Alappuzha region in 2014 and there were no reports of spreading the virus in human beings so far.
Kerala Poultry Farmers Welfare Association said a complete ban could not be accepted as hundreds of people are involved in raising duck, chicken, quail and pet birds.
TP Sethumadhavan, former director of Kerala Veterinary & Animal Sciences University, said Kuttanad is known as Ramsar region with rich biodiversity of ducks which includes traditional Chara and Chempally varieties. The district was famous for duck production and even exported duck eggs to many Middle East and Asian countries.
More than 20 per cent of the economy in the region is related to poultry production. Experts suggest that migrating birds are regularly facilitating annual outbreak in the region. A national institute for avian influenza surveillance and resilience is required in the region. Bird flu outbreak and related poultry production and marketing issues are causing a reported annual loss of ₹400 crore in the region, he said.
However, J Chincurani, the State Animal Husbandry Minister, clarified that the government would consider the practical implications of the recommendations before taking any action.