The Ministry of Food and Agriculture has confirmed a new outbreak of Bird flu on a poultry farm in Tarkwa, a suburb of Takoradi in the Western Region.
About 250 birds and other poultry products have so far been destroyed in the area following the outbreak.
[contextly_sidebar id=”zcULOou1wJCtCmRBZE9DdcI29ZV0McdW”]In 2015, five regions including Greater Accra, Central, Western, Ashanti and Volta recorded the outbreak, as over 7,000 birds were destroyed.
Government subsequently released GHc11 million to assist in controlling the outbreak through the payment of compensation, and the provision of logistics.
Confirming the latest outbreak to Citi News, a Deputy Minister of Food and Agriculture in Charge of Livestock, Dr. Hannah Bissiw, said steps have been taken to curb the spread of the virus.
“There has been a new outbreak but it is not like it has resurrected. We have not been declared free yet and that is the unfortunate part, we were very hopeful but once you get a new outbreak it sends you back.”
Hannah Bissiw blamed the recent development on “smuggling of birds” into the country from neighbouring countries.
“Anytime there is an outbreak of bird flu in any country, people are not allowed to move from one farm to the other. It’s not allowed. You go to the farm if and only you are needed on that farm. And farmers are required to do second test but some of our farmers are not complying with it.
“We beg of them that we should all help so that we do not smuggle those things in because our neighbouring countries they still have very active outbreak. The last one we had was on the 15th of December and now we’ve had another one so it should tell you that something came in from somewhere. If people do not help us it will be difficult to eradicate this,” she added.
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By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin