The entry of all poultry and poultry products from Kerala and Karnataka has been banned in the Nilgiris.
Since the outbreak of bird flu was confirmed in Alappuzha in Kerala was confirmed, measures have been initiated to prevent the entry of any poultry or poultry products through any of the eight interstate border checkposts that separate the Nilgiris from Kerala and Karnataka. Of the eight, one checkpost at Kakkanallah seperates the Nilgiris from Chamarajanagar in Karnataka.
Speaking to The Hindu. Dr. S. Sathianarayanan, Regional Joint Director of Animal Husbandry, Nilgiris District, said that entry of vehicles carrying poultry had been stopped at Kakkanallah too as vehicles from Kerala could pass into Chamarajanagar and proceed to the Nilgiris.
“To minimise any chance of this happening, all poultry vehicles will not be allowed through these eight checkposts,” said Mr. Sathianarayanan.
While all other vehicles are being allowed, they will first be disinfected at the checkposts before being allowed into the Nilgiris, officials said.
A team from the animal husbandry department, comprising a veterinary assistant surgeon, a livestock inspector and an animal husbandry assistant will be stationed 24 hours a day across the eight border checkposts at all times till mid-July, Mr. Sathianarayanan added.
The Regional Joint Director said that so far, there had been no reported instances of bird flu in the Nilgiris nor in any part of Tamil Nadu so far due to the strict measures that have been adopted to prevent the entry of poultry from Kerala into the state.
He said there were only a handful of poultry farms in the Nilgiris which are regularly monitored each month for bird flu as part of the animal husbandry’s “bird flu surveillance.”
