Officials suspect bird flu-affected chickens in market; Probe panel formed
A probe committe has been formed to investigate into reports that chickens from a bird flu-hit farm in Ramkot, Kathmandu, may have found their way into the market as they failed to cull the infected fowl.
The news comes a day after authorities said they were going to cull all 2,500 chickens at farm in Ramkot, Kathmandu, after the fowl there tested positive for bird flu.
Livestock Services Directorate Livestock officials, who were at Sudhirman Singh Basnet's farm to cull infected chickens, were told by the farm owner that the infected animals had all died and been buried said directorate Spokesperson Dr Narayan Ghimire. Officials are finding the statement hard to believe, and say that the infected chickens may have been sent to the market.
"Basnet may have buried the chickens himself as livestock officials did not issue any order to get rid of the fowl," said Kathmandu Chief District Officer Chudamani Sharma. He said that a probe committee has been formed to investigate the case. Representatives from the Directorate consumer rights groups and the local administration have been nominated members of the panel.
However, Livestock Directorate officials said that they had formally written to Basnet declaring the farm as bird flu-hit area, and ordering him not to dispose the chickens on his own.
http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2012/dec/dec26/news14.php
Bird flu hits second farm in capital
2012-12-26KATHMANDU: Department of Animal Health officials on Wednesday culled over 2240 chickens and destroyed 700kgs of chicken grain and 105 eggs in Sitapaila-1 in the capital after the confirmation of Bird flu (H5N1).
A day after the culling of some 2,500 chicks and destroying 19,000 eggs from Manjushree Poultry Farm at Ramkot VDC-6, the team culled and destroyed chickens and their grains in Sitapaila-1 based poultry farm owned by Surya Mohan Pokhrel which lies some 50 meters east.
The step was taken after the confirmation of bird flu on the farm and it was put into surveillance, Narayan Giri, spokesperson at the Department of Animal Health informed.
According to him, the Kathmandu District Administration is entrusted with the responsibility to form a committee and submit the report within three days over the reported practices of Ramkot Poultry farm even after bird flu was confirmed.
Both sites and surrounding poultry farms have been put under surveillance.
Avian flu case confirmed in another Ramkot farm
Livestock officials have confirmed yet another case of outbreak of bird flu in Kathmandu.
Narayan Prasad Ghimire, spokesperson for the Livestock Services Department, said that around 3,000 chickens have tested positive at the Surya Mohan Pokharel's farm in Ramkot VDC.
Earlier this week, authorities had declared Sudhir Basnet's farm in the same area as bird-flu-hit.
