Mumbai warns of egg shortages as bird flu continues to roil local farms
Outbreaks of avian influenza in India have been reported at more poultry farms in the Navapur region, sparking fears of egg shortages in Mumbai.Reporting in the India Times has sounded the alarm over restricted egg supplies in Mumbai and Pune after bird flu outbreaks were reported in 21 out of 29 layer farms in Navapur and Nandurbar. Animal health authorities are planning massive culls at 25 poultry farms. The culls could affect over 600,000 chickens. Poultry expert Neha Madaan told The Times that the shortage of eggs was not only due to the culls, but also because many farmers sold their birds in the wake of flu outbreaks.
Maharashtra’s animal husbandry commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh said, “Of the 29 layer poultry farms in Navapur, two don’t have birds and are closed. Two, with around [400,000 birds] are unaffected. Of the remaining 25 layer poultry farms, 21 were affected with avian influenza, while eight cases from four remaining units were sent for tests recently.
“But even if some tests are negative, birds in the remaining four farms will be culled to break the chain of infection,” Singh said.