India to set up new animal health lab

A new, highly biosecure animal health laboratory worth Rs500 million (US$10.35 million) is to be set up near Chennai, India, according to local media reports.

The high-tech lab will be the second of its kind in the country after the Bhopal-based High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL), which handles zoonotic cases.

Tamil Nadu animal husbandry and rural industries minister Pongalur N. Palanisamy said certification of the lab would provide a boost to the state's poultry exports.

Commissioner of animal husbandry and veterinary services M. Malik Feroze Khan said construction would commence in four to five months, adding that the lab will focus on research to identify viral strains during outbreaks, and help identify causes, and details of pathogens and viruses of new diseases.

With the outbreak of avian influenza a couple of years ago, the poultry industry in the state, though unaffected by the disease, took a hit because of a slump in exports and domestic consumption.

Tamil Nadu is ranked second in egg and meat production in the country, with Namakkal finding a place in the world egg export map.

The government was also planning to construct a cold storage unit for eggs at Namakkal, at a cost of Rs100 million under a public-private partnership agreement.

US$1 = Rs48.318 (Aug 14)