Dr Suresh S Honnappagol, former vice-chancellor of Karnataka Veterinary, Animal, Fisheries and Sciences University, said it is quite likely that bad hygienic practices at poultry farms could have caused the outbreak.
Depending on whether one speaks to ornithologists, veterinarians, farmers or BBMP officials, the reason as to why the state has seen an outbreak of bird flu varies. While ornithologists swear by the fact that migratory birds simply cannot travel thousands of kilometres while carrying the virus without succumbing to it themselves, poultry farmers say their own farms are kept in pristine conditions making such an outbreak due to poor hygiene almost impossible.
Dr Suresh S Honnappagol, former vice-chancellor of Karnataka Veterinary, Animal, Fisheries and Sciences University, said it is quite likely that bad hygienic practices at poultry farms could have caused the outbreak.
“In my experience, it can be one of the reasons why biosecurity measures have to be strictly implemented, so that farms can be kept in check. Transport of these birds should also be in optimum conditions, but it can also be a cause,” he said. Well-known ornithologists such as MB Krishna and Harish Bhat have also come forward trying to absolve migratory birds, and have urged the government to look at alternative reasons for the outbreak.
However, farmers themselves vociferously defend their practices. “The outbreak cannot be because of the conditions in the farms. We give ample space to the chicken which are meant to be sold and only the parents of broilers (the chicken which are bred exclusively for meat) are caged," said Mohammed Imran Pasha, general secretary of Karnataka Poultry Trademark Association.
"When the chicken which are bred for meet are born, they are kept in the floor for about 40 days and when they are about 2 kg, they are sent out for culling. We have been badly affected by this outbreak but we comply with the conditions,” added Pasha.
Harish Gowda, who owns a poultry farm near Hessarghatta, agrees. “My farm sports about 33,000 chickens. I spend about Rs24,000,000 (rupees two crore forty lakh) per annum for the upkeep. We take biosecurity measures very seriously. The entire compound is sprayed with disinfectants. If someone comes to the farm, they have to wash their hands, feet and face and then change their clothes and footwear. When a chicken falls sick, we immediately send it to the labs to get it checked,” Gowda said.
Gowda said in a bid to make his farm completely safe for his poultry and consumers, he is planning to beef up the measures further. “I will be spending about Rs7 lakh more every year just to be on the safer side. When the chickens are transported, they are also fumigated,” he said.
Dr PB Ramesh, a Bangalore-based veterinarian, said the government should take precautionary measures to ensure that such a situation never arises. “I can’t completely place the blame on migratory birds. The chances of chickens contracting the disease while being transported are also low. The virus is coming from somewhere though and the government should try and figure that out. Maybe the parents of birds which are imported into the farms bring the virus with them. The health department should work on this,” he said.
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