November 20, 2006

Sri Lanka sets out to regulate poultry industry sector

Sri Lanka's Department of Animal Production and Health has taken measures to register the poultry farms scattered throughout the country before December 15.

Sri Lanka's poultry industry is believed to have grown strongly during the last decade. However, the country still has no reliable data on numbers and locations of commercial layer, broiler, and backyard farms on a national level.

After registration, a number and a certificate would be issued to the poultry farms by the respective Govt.Veterinary Surgeon, the Director General of the Department Dr. S.K.R. Amarasakeara said

Sri Lanka's poultry industry grown rapidly since 1990, with growth from the broiler sector now outpacing the layer sector, a Department spokesman said.

Government estimates put the present output of poultry products at around 900 million eggs and 65,000 tonnes of chicken meat annually, out of which less than 1 percent is exported.

Although the industry has expanded rapidly, it has also brought about undesirable effects such as diseases, Amarasakeara said.

Introduction of a disease such as bird flu to Sri Lanka and its possible spread can result in a socio-economic disaster in the poultry sector, if it is not controlled and eliminated at source, he continued.

To that end, the government has set out a series of bio-security measures and laid out systems of compensation should the disease ever strike.