Trinidad’s Minister of Agriculture Clarence Rambharat has advised that raw and cooked poultry meat from Guyana has been banned from entry into Trinidad and Tobago with immediate effect.
According to www.looptt.com, Rambharat explained today that the ban was instituted as Guyana has advised of the existence of Duck virus hepatitis in a part of the country. There has been no announcement of this by the Guyanese authorities here.
“As a precaution the Ministry’s Chief Veterinary Office has notified the Customs and Excise Division of an immediate ban on raw and cooked poultry originating from Guyana. While Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago do not trade with each other in poultry, the ban is precautionary and targets passengers coming into Trinidad and Tobago with raw or cooked poultry in their possession. The ban is instituted because Guyana has advised of the existence of Duck virus hepatitis in a part of Guyana,” the Minister stated.
However, he added that the virus is not present in Trinidad and Tobago.
Duck hepatitis virus is a highly fatal contagious disease of young ducklings, 1-28 days.
Stabroek News reported earlier this month that the Guyana Livestock and Development Authority’s (GLDA) hatchery has been closed until further notice because of the increased mortality rate observed among the Muscovy breed of ducklings.
According to a GLDA notice which appeared in the May 18th Guyana Chronicle, its surveillance team has seen an increased mortality rate of the ducklings being hatched at the facility and the GLDA says 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.
The GLDA said that it was also working with an overseas reference laboratory to have this “unusual event” addressed as quickly as possible. There has been no word from the GLDA on these tests.
“We at the GLDA are aware that the economic impact on the duck farming community is going to be huge and we are working assiduously to have this situation rectified at the earliest opportune time”, the GLDA said.
