MONTHS after closing its hatchery to prevent the spread of a duck disease, the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) reopened its facility at Mon Repos on Sunday.
“We apologise for the inconvenience experienced during our closure, but assure the duck farming community that the issues have been resolved and we look forward to your continued support,” GLDA said in a notice on Sunday.

The hatchery has, however, been reopened with new conditions. It will no longer be hatching eggs of poultry species such as fowl, turkey, geese, guinea fowl, quail and other species.
Back in June, there were suspected cases of Duck Hepatitis Virus, mainly at six duck farms on the coast of Guyana.

GLDA’s surveillance team had reportedly seen an increased mortality rate of the ducklings hatched at the facility. A number of farmers had made similar reports.
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. There were no reports of high mortality in adult Muscovy ducks and other breeds such as Pekin and the Kunshan.

In an effort to guard against the spreading of the disease, the GLDA had closed its hatchery which was the only one in Guyana that hatched duck eggs commercially.
The disease had not manifested itself in the other poultry sectors– chicken, turkey and Guinea bird– and had only been observed in ducklings between the ages of 3 to 15 days old, said the authority.

Trinidad and Tobago, after becoming aware of the disease, had placed a ban on all poultry products– raw and cooked– coming from Guyana.

Trinidad’s Minister of Agriculture, Clarence Rambharat, had explained that the ban was instituted as Guyana had advised of the existence of Duck virus hepatitis in a part of the country.

GLDA had expressed disappointment in the “premature and excessive” response of the Ministry of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries of Trinidad and Tobago.

“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 did not consider the advisory to be ill-advised as the sale, nor does consumption of poultry meat pose any health risks.