January 27, 2025

 

Poultry farmers in Daraa, southern Syria, hit by financial lossess as Newcastle disease spreads

 

Most poultry farmers in Daraa province, southern Syria, have suffered financial losses after flocks were hit by a new wave of Newcastle disease, leading to the deaths of entire flocks.

 

The outbreak has prompted prices for small chickens to be offered at lower rates to match market prices, especially with the opening up of Syrian areas to each other following the fall of the previous Syrian regime.

 

Poultry farmer Anas al-Mefalani, in the town of Nahta in the eastern Daraa countryside, lost about LS234 million (US$20,000) after losing four flocks of chickens, consisting of over 25,000 birds.

 

Al-Mefalani told Enab Baladi that his breeding flocks were infected with the Newcastle disease, despite taking precautions such as disinfection and preventive vaccination.

 

Veterinarian Ayman al-Naqawa stated to Enab Baladi that the poultry flocks suffered a new strain of Newcastle disease, which has broken the immunity among the birds and did not respond to vaccination. According to his estimates, the mortality rate was between 60% and 90% in most farms and reached 100% in some farms.

 

al-Naqawa added that the current wave of the outbreak has ended, following a decline in breeding flocks, as farms prepare for new flocks intended for the upcoming Ramadan (at the end of February).

 

The head of the Veterinary Doctors Syndicate in Daraa, Hussein al-Zoubi, attributed the outbreak of disease in poultry farms in Daraa to the dilapidated infrastructure of the farms and the high cost of feed and medications, which led farmers to neglect essential preventive measures to avoid the spread of the disease.

 

al-Zoubi added that some farmers did not follow health guidelines, including maintaining a time interval between breeding each flock, disposing of waste, cleaning and disinfecting the area, and some of them became lax in oil vaccination, which involves injecting each bird through a specialised veterinarian.

 

According to statistics revealed by an employee in the Animal Wealth Directorate in Daraa, the number of licensed poultry farms in the province has reached 900, with 125 licensed for chickens and 97 for eggs.

 

Meanwhile, the number of unlicensed farms has reached 388, with 125 operating for chickens and 110 for eggs.

 

- Enab Baladi