Kerala lifts ban on poultry products

Ban has been imposed in 13 villages in Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts

Kerala Government today lifted the ban on poultry products that was imposed last month in 13 villages in Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam districts. Minister for Agriculture K.P. Mohanan informed the state assembly that the ban was enforced last month after an Avian flu outbreak which was later confirmed to be due to H5N1 virus.

"Whatever ban was there on poultry products in the affected places has been lifted following the return of normalcy," said Mohanan.

It was in the middle of last month that problems cropped up in a few places in the three districts when ducks started dropping dead.

And when it started spreading in the locality, the government banned transportation of any poultry product from these villages apart from culling over three lakh poultry birds.