September 13, 2006

Bhutan relaxes ban on Indian poultry

Bhutan is allowing limited access of processed chicken from India after banning it for the last seven months due to bird flu outbreaks.

A processing plant in India's West Bengal state has been granted permission to export the meat to Bhutan. Livestock officials said frozen or chilled chicken would be dressed and neatly packed.

Last month, officials from Bhutan's livestock department, the National Centre for Animal Health and the health ministry visited the plant and declared it safe for exports.

Pasang Tshering of Bhutan's National Center for Animal Health said the partial lifting of the ban reflects the cautious approach taken by Bhutan towards the deadly flu virus.

Bhutan banned poultry products from India in February after the H5N1 virus broke out in poultry in India's Maharashtra state.

Bhutan's major poultry imports come from West Bengal.

The ban has caused poultry prices to surge in Bhutan as the shortage of local chicken and eggs became more acute.

Efforts for a partial lifting of the ban began in July as Bhutan sought assurances from India that only poultry establishments free of diseases with strict bio-security and surveillance measures would be allowed to export to Bhutan.

India last month declared itself as 'bird-flu free' after 3 months where no bird flu cases were documented.