Poultry safe for use, no threat of Bird Flu
By Saad Saud

ISLAMABAD—Poultry meat and eggs are safe for use and there is no threat of bird flu outbreak. President World Poultry Science Association, Pakistan Branch Dr Mohammad Sadiq expressed these views in a press conference here on Tuesday.
He said there is not a single case in the world where a person was reported to have died after touching the affected poultry meat. "There is not a possibility of bird flu outbreak and it is only based on flimsy and incomplete information," he added.
He said WHO reports suggested that the virus of avian influenza cannot change its form quickly. He said that government had established 18 monitoring centers throughout the country to check bird flu virus. Dr Sadiq said a total of 25,000 poultry farms exist in the country with 160 million chickens while around 2.5 million chickens per day are being sold in the country's markets.
He stressed that the affected chickens cannot survive for a long time and it is not possible to bring them into the market. Giving other details, he informed that around Rs20 billion are invested in poultry business and about 1.5 million people are associated with this trade.
About 40 per cent domestic meat consumption is met with poultry meat, he added. He said from the year 2004, due to continuous rumours of bird flu, the poultry business had to suffer losses and about forty per cent of farmers were forced to shut down their poultry business.
Dr Mohammed Aslam former Chairman Pakistan Poultry Association and other office bearers of the Association were also present on the occasion. Agencies Add: Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) has declared chicken meat safe, healthy and fit for consumption of human beings.
Addressing a joint press conference the president of PPA, Dr. Muhammad Sadiq alongwith former chairman Dr. Muhammad Aslam and former president Dr. Hassan Sarosh assured masses that Pakistan's chicken products were free of any Bird Flu virus.
They also informed that government had established 18 monitoring cells and were collecting samples every month, hence there was no need for public to worry. They maintained that Bird Flu was chicken specific and was not transferable in human beings, and said that even according to WHO (World Health Organization) no human being has been infected with the virus so far, and all the rumors about this virus were rampant in Pakistan due to lack of knowledge and orientation of the issue, while its harmful effects were bloated beyond facts.
They said that only 6-7000 chickens had perished out of more than 16 crores of healthy and alive chickens in 25000 poultry farms around the Country. An average of 25,00,000 chickens are daily slaughtered for market consumption, and said that a suffering chicken can hardly survive even for seconds. They assured that supply of healthy and virus free chicken was the National commitment and responsibility of poultry dealers, who have recently invested Rs. 200 billion in the business, while 15,00,000 employees were associated with the field.
They disclosed that ever since Bird Flu rumors have surfaced in 2004, poultry farm business has lost billions in business and 40% poultry farms have been forced to close their business, skyrocketing prices to 50-70%; the only thing that Bird Flu virus rumors were able to damage were massive layoffs at poultry farm jobs and masses getting deprived of a choice of cheap white meat.