Bird flu: Ban on Indian poultry imports

Government yesterday imposed an indefinite ban on import of poultry and poultry products from India due to an outbreak of bird flu there and stepped up surveillance at the airport.

The Director General of the Animal Production and Health Department told The Sunday Times that the measure was taken as a precaution as the outbreak which began in Myanmar and Bangladesh had spread to India.

“This is also the beginning of the migration period and we need to take all precautions”, Director General Dr. S.K.R. Amarasekara said. The ban would not be immediately effective for poultry food, but that would depend on the situation in India and the outbreak becomes worse, he said.

The ban on the import of poultry and poultry products came after confirmation that the outbreak of the bird flu was the H5N1 strain. Sri Lanka imports chicks for hatcheries and parent chicks from India.