Turning a blind eye

Photo: STAR

TO the casual observer, it might seem that bird flu is no longer news. It rarely appears in the papers any more, and one could be forgiven for thinking that the massive damage it did to the poultry industry a few years ago was a thing of the past. But this is not true. The outbreak of bird flu at a bio-secure breeder farm owned by Kazi Farms in North Bengal, a region that had been considered safe, shows that the threat is not over. Rather, it seems to be increasing, invading locations and well-managed farms that were previously not affected. What could be the reason for the sudden outbreak? Kazi Farms has always maintained international standards of bio-security in its locations. All poultry sheds are closed to the outside and environmentally controlled, limiting exposure to viruses from wild birds. All personnel live on the farm, and have to disinfect, shower and change uniforms and footwear in the morning before they enter the chicken sheds. People and vehicles entering the farm have to disinfect and wash their footwear and wheels. These standardised bio-security practices have been found internationally successful in preventing bird flu. So why an outbreak now, when the situation seems under control and levels of the bird flu virus should be low across the country? A possible explanation for the outbreak is the recent government decision to allow import of poultry chicks and eggs from India. The Indian news media has reported several outbreaks recently in the neighbouring state of West Bengal. These news reports make it obvious that India is not free of bird flu, and the government is mistaken in allowing imports of Indian poultry products. If Indian products carrying bird flu viruses are being imported, this will spread the virus to the markets where they are sold. The widespread dispersion of the virus would then make it easier for any farm in Bangladesh to be infected through a single poorly washed wheel, shoe or foot entering a farm. Import of poultry products and spreading the virus thus increases bird flu risks for all poultry farms in Bangladesh. The government should immediately wake up to the risks of importing Indian poultry products and put a stop to it. Stopping imports will cause a shortage and high chick prices temporarily; the solution is to allow local poultry breeders to vaccinate their flocks, as is done routinely in other Asian countries such as Indonesia, where the density of small-scale farming makes it difficult to ever completely stamp out bird flu. By vaccinating, breeders can lower their risk of outbreaks and replenish their parent flocks in a few months, raising the supply and lowering the price. This will make Bangladesh self-sufficient in day-old chick production again, as it was for most of the last decade until bird flu hit. In the meanwhile, allowing imports from only genuinely bird flu-free countries, as per standard international practice, should make up the shortage of poultry products.

Zeeshan Hasan is a director of Kazi Farms.