– says duck disease has been contained to six farms

THE Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) has expressed disappointment in the “premature and excessive” response of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries of Trinidad and Tobago to place a ban on all poultry products, both raw and cooked, coming from Guyana.

GLDA in a press statement, noted that they observed that the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries of Trinidad and Tobago had issued an advisory banning the importation of poultry, raw and cooked, from entering into the island from Guyana
According to www.looptt.com, Trinidad’s Minister of Agriculture, Clarence Rambharat, explained that the ban was instituted as Guyana had advised of the existence of Duck virus hepatitis in a part of the country.

“While a disease incidence report to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) may elicit a country response, we are disappointed at the premature and excessive response of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries of Trinidad and Tobago,” said the GLDA.
The GLDA does not consider this advisory to be ill-advised as the sale, nor does consumption of poultry meat pose any health risks.

The GLDA assured the public that the issue with the duck disease, suspected to be, but has not been confirmed, Duck Hepatitis Virus, has been contained and restricted to six duck farms on the coast of Guyana.

“Measures implemented, including the closure of our hatchery, the only one in Guyana that hatches duck eggs commercially, have assisted in containing the disease. The disease has not manifested itself in the other poultry sectors– chicken, turkey and Guinea bird– and has only been observed in ducklings between the ages of 3 to 15 days old,” said the authority.

The GLDA said it will continue to perform and uphold its responsibility and mandate to provide wholesome meat and meat products to the consuming public.

It was reported that the GLDA’s surveillance team has seen an increased mortality rate of the ducklings being hatched at the facility and it has also been told by some farmers that a similar occurrence was taking place on a number of farms throughout the various regions.
The GLDA said that the high mortality rates were recorded primarily in the Muscovy breed of ducklings, generally between the ages of two to three weeks. To date, it said that it has not received reports of high mortality in adult Muscovy ducks and other breeds such as Pekin and the Kunshan.

“The ducklings most affected are from the farms that toll hatch at the GLDA hatchery, therefore, as a result of this unusual occurrence, the GLDA is currently conducting an active surveillance exercise throughout all 5 coastal regions and (is) monitoring the breeding flocks of the affected farmers. We are hereby seeking the cooperation of the duck farmers to conduct the surveillance exercise”, the GLDA notice said. While the GLDA continues to do its work, the ban appears to have no economic impact on the local producers.

“We don’t export chicken out of Guyana,” said David Fernandes, a member of the Guyana Poultry Producers Association. Fernandes said the association will give a more comprehensive explanation in a subsequent press statement.