Tests conducted by the Cornell University Research Lab in the United States have confirmed that the devastation of the local duck industry last year was caused by duck hepatitis virus.
Guyana Livestock and Development Authority (GLDA) Deputy Chief Executive Officer Dr. Dwight Walrond told Stabroek News that the test results were returned late last year.
The virus saw unexplained deaths at duck farms across the country. Farmers had told Stabroek News that they were instructed by the GLDA to halt production as they were recording daily losses. According to a report provided to the World Organisation for Animal Health, 13,362 ducks were killed and disposed of, while 4,000 cases of the virus were reported.
