Namakkal: Alka Upadhyaya, secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, on Tuesday assured the poultry farmers and egg exporters in the region that the Union govt would not oppose Tamil Nadu’s status as the disease-free export zone. After visiting poultry farms in the district and holding discussions with the animal husbandry officials, poultry farmers and egg exporters on the day, she said the Centre was committed to facilitate egg export.
Dr P V Senthil, secretary, Livestock and Agri Farmers Trade Association, had earlier urged Alka to officially recognize Tamil Nadu as a bird flu and other disease-free state, as there wasn’t any such outbreak in the state till date. He also urged the Centre to do away with the compartmentalization policy for poultry farms and consider zonal-wise declarations. Alka, however, said the compartmentalization was the requirement from certain egg importing nations and that the Centre had nothing to do with the same.
Poultry farmers and egg exporters also pitched for a laboratory in the district for the surveillance and diagnosis of poultry diseases. “Now, we are relying on multiple laboratory tests and certifications for export activities. The situation will change if an advanced lab comes up in the district,” they said.
In reply, Alka said it would cost at least ₹10 crore to set up such a laboratory and promised that she would take up the matter with the Centre for financial support.
The meeting was attended by district collector S Uma, Rajya Sabha MP K R N Rajesh Kumar and state animal husbandry director Maheswari Ravikumar.
Source – timesofindia
