Goa bans Karnataka poultry following bird flu outbreak

The administration in Goa's South Goa district on Saturday banned the entry of poultry from Karnataka, following a reported outbreak of bird flu in the neighbouring state's Bidar district.

Speaking to reporters, South Goa District Magistrate Swapnil Naik said that the ban was imposed after the Bhopal-based National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases confirmed presence of bird flu in birds from a poultry in Bidar's Humnabad area and the same was communicated to his office by the state government's animal husbandry and veterinary department.

"The ban is a precautionary measure and will be reviewed in a few days," he said.

Naik also said that officials at border check points at Pollem and Mollem in South Goa had been directed not to allow poultry wagons from across the border until further orders.

Goa which caters to over four million tourists every year, is a major market for poultry, despite being a small state and most of the bird meat is sourced from the neighbouring states of Karnataka and Maharashtra.

--IANS

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