Punjab Livestock and Agriculture Minister Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh said the poultry sector is of paramount importance and that veterinary doctors and scientists should play their role in checking chickens for the New Castle Disease (NCD).
He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting held regarding the checking of the disease, at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) on Friday.
UVAS Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Talat Naseer Pasha, Livestock Additional Secretary Khalid Awais Ranjha, Pakistan Poultry Association representatives and veterinary doctors and scientists were also present on the occasion.
The minister said the Punjab government was paying special attention to the poultry sector so that the demand for meat and eggs could be fulfilled.
He said the sector was facing problems due to the NCD; therefore vaccines to control the disease were necessary to stave off economic losses.
The minister constituted three technical committees, headed by Dr Pasha, for suggesting long, medium and short-term measures for controlling the NCD and evolving a strategy to eliminate the sub-standard vaccines available in the market.
These committees will comprise Disease Control Laboratory Director Dr Tahir Yaqoob, Research Director General Dr Zafar Jameel Gul, Extension Director General Irfan Zahid, Deputy Secretary Dr Irfan Ali and Pakistan Poultry Association representatives.
He directed that poultry farmers should be motivated to keep their farms clean, ensure timely vaccine and bury dead chickens so that other birds could be saved from the virus.
He said a solid strategy should be evolved for the generation of energy from biomass at poultry farms.
Earlier, UVAS VC said the vaccine for NCD had been prepared locally in cooperation with the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Veterinary Research Institute and the Pakistan Poultry Association and that its trials had been very successful.