Claim by PLSG over bird flu infection doubtful, farm location unknown

Plateau State Chairman of PAN Julius Gusan told Daily Trust that the poultry farmers at a stakeholders meeting last week demanded to know from the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Steven Barko the identity and location of the farm affected by bird flu.Gusan said that the commissioner in his response to the request by the farmer’s […]

Plateau State Chairman of PAN Julius Gusan told Daily Trust that the poultry farmers at a stakeholders meeting last week demanded to know from the state Commissioner for Agriculture, Steven Barko the identity and location of the farm affected by bird flu.
Gusan said that the commissioner in his response to the request by the farmer’s association said that the ministry will not disclose the identity of the affected farm to them.
Gusan added that it was the Plateau State Commissioner of Agriculture, Mr Steven Barko, that said there was outbreak of bird flu in Jos.
The commissioner had told Daily Trust last week that the outbreak had been reported by the owner of a poultry farm in Rantya area of Jos South LGA and the ministry had taken samples to the laboratory at the National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom near Jos, and that it had been confirmed by lab scientists to be bird flu.
He said that the ministry had since evacuated all the birds at the affected farm and sealed the farm.
He added that after receiving the report, the ministry dispatched its technical staff on surveillance across the state to halt the spread of the scourge.
He said that the ministry had summoned an emergency stakeholders meeting to work out a strategy aimed at managing the situation.
Barko said the state governor has approved the sum of N15 million for the annual surveillance of the disease, out of which the ministry now seeks the release of N5 million for the emergency exercise to halt the spread of the disease.
Efforts by our correspondent to find the affected farm in Rantya in Jos South LGA failed and other ministry officials contacted either declined to comment or said they too didn’t know the said farm.
When contacted on phone over the location of the affected farm by our reporter Monday, the commissioner said, “I am right now attending a workshop in Abuja”.