KATHMANDU: Nepal has imposed an immediate ban on the import of poultry products after bird flu was found in various states of neighboring country, India.
It is stated that the Department of Livestock Services under the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has written a letter instructing to immediately stop import of poultry and poultry products from any part of India to prevent bird flu from entering Nepal.
The department has also written to the quarantine check post on the Nepal-India border.
According to the department, import of poultry products has been stopped completely to prevent the spread of bird flu. Apart from that, due to the open border, there is a high chance of bird flu to enter Nepal from India. The department has also formed a committee to coordinate with the stakeholders to prevent flu from entering the country. Moreover, if in any case such infected items cross the border, the committee immediately takes the infected item under control and destroys it and takes action against the person concerned.
Over the past few days, bird flu has been detected in more than a dozen areas including Haryana, Kerala, Gujarat and Rajasthan along with various states of India. Egg sales have also been banned in the affected states. The federal government of India has issued “high alert notice” and called for emergency measures to prevent the spread of the flu.