Gaurav Kanthwal Tribune News Service Dera Bassi January 8 The Mohali Animal Husbandry Department will start sampling of birds in the district from tomorrow onwards. Rapid response teams deputed at the tehsil level will collect 50 samples each from poultry farms meat shops markets and other potential areas and send it to the Northern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory Jalandhar for testing. Layer farm owners cautious Vicky Kalra a poultry farm owner in Dera Bassi said: “There is no panic among poultry farmers here. However layer farms (dealing in hen eggs) are keeping a more guarded approach while broiler farms (dealing in chicken) have mostly cleared out their stock.” Business insiders says layer farm birds life is of 18 months while a broiler farm birds life is 35 days only. Dr Sangeeta Toor Deputy Director Animal Husbandry Department Mohali said: “We have received orders to send 50 samples each collected by rapid response teams to the Jalandhar laboratory on a daily basis till further orders. There have been no instances of unusual bird deaths in the district so far. We are carrying out intensive surveillance in all areas with potential risk.” The department has constituted rapid response teams and posted a nodal officer at the district level. Two teams have been constituted at the tehsil level one each in Dera Bassi and Kharar. Each team comprises of two doctors pharmacists and Class IV employees. Meanwhile poultry farm owners in the Dera Bassi area said disinfectant was being sprayed from time to time at the farms. The Animal Husbandry Department has advised them to cover the feeding area of birds so that it is not infected by stray birds such as crows egrets and others. Farm workers are being sanitised and medically screened by teams of the Health Department. Conservative estimates peg the bird population in Dera Bassi area around 20 lakh.

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