The parliament of Ghana is calling for immediate and robust action to prevent the massive spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the country. The governmental body is asking the Ministry of Finance to provide the Ministry of Food and Agriculture with the funds necessary to battle the virus before the avian influenza outbreak reaches epidemic proportions.
Noting the importance of the poultry industry to the development of the country’s economy, Gabriel Kodwo Essilfie, chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Food and Agriculture Committee, said if immediate remedial action was not taken, the domestic poultry supply would be limited and the need to import poultry from other nations would continue, reported Ghana Business News.
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) recently reported that H5N1 avian influenza had been confirmed in a layer flock in Ashanti, Ghana. In that case, a flock of 1948 chickens was affected. Of those birds, 1302 died as a result of contracting the virus, while an additional 608 chickens on the affected property were destroyed.
Bookmark WATTAgNet’s avian influenza update page to see the latest news and analysis concerning avian influenza and the impact the virus has been having on the global poultry industry.
