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Flu fear hits poultry industry
By Vanessa Sridharan
Poultry sales that have already decreased due to a fear of the outbreak of the deadly bird flu might be further affected by the government’s announcement of an extended ban on poultry imports even covering countries unaffected by the disease, industry officials warn. They said about 75, 000 people, directly and indirectly involved in the poultry industry would be affected, if the disease did enter the country.

Chairman of Maxie poultry farms, Maxie Perera said, although they didn’t import poultry, their sales had dropped this week due to the growing fear among the public. And the government’s sudden announcement of the extended ban would naturally affect the people who would be wary of buying chicken.
A Prima spokesperson said their sales had also dropped and they had even stopped the import of bird feed as a precaution.

A spokesperson for Cargills Ltd. said though their sales had dropped it had little to do with the threat of bird flu but more to do with the Ramadhan month of fasting. “ We don’t import any poultry and most of our customers don’t even ask about the disease. However, as a preventive measure we are educating our customers on the importance of being vigilant by distributing flyers about Bird Flu,” restaurant manager Frank David said.

Meanwhile, president of the poultry association Dr. D.D.Wanasinghe told The Sunday Times that the ban was to protect the local poultry industry as well as to prevent a major health hazzard.

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