Animal husbandry department seeks Rs 10 cr from govt for avian flu-hit bird culling and farmer compensation

Nashik: The animal husbandry department has sought ₹10 crore to cover the costs of culling over 4 lakh birds, destroying eggs and feed, and compensating poultry farmers after an avian flu outbreak in Navapur taluka of Nandurbar district.

The outbreak, centred in Navapur town, a major layer poultry hub, has so far led to the culling of over 4 lakh birds across 15 farms, the destruction of 25 lakh eggs, and the disposal of 548 tonnes of poultry feed. Officials said operations at commercial poultry farms have been completed, while culling of backyard poultry is pending due to lack of funds.

“The poultry industry in Navapur is the primary source of eggs for markets in Surat, Gujarat, as well as parts of north Maharashtra. This is the third outbreak recorded here since 2006. Samples from eight farms tested positive for the infection, prompting the culling of birds across all 15 farms. We have requested ₹10 crore to fund this entire operation. Of these ₹8 crore is the compensation to the farmers,” a senior officer from the department said.

Authorities said nearly 10,000 backyard birds are yet to be culled, as compensation must be paid upfront to individual owners.

“For backyard poultry (birds reared by individuals at home), cash compensation must be paid upfront. We are currently waiting for the funds to clear, after which nearly 10,000 birds will be culled in the affected areas,” the officer added.

Poultry farmers, facing prolonged disruption, said immediate release of compensation is critical to restart operations. “We do not get loans from nationalised or private banks easily. Those that do offer loans charge hefty interest rates, which makes our situation incredibly difficult. We often have to manage our own finances at high interest. The faster the govt releases the compensation, the sooner we can secure our finances,” said one poultry owner, requesting anonymity.

Farmers said the outbreak has effectively set their businesses back by over a year, even as fixed costs continue. “We have to start entirely from scratch. Although our farm infrastructure is intact, extensive sanitisation and other bio-security activities must be carried out during the mandatory 90-day period following the last recorded infection. Only after that can we introduce new birds, which then take five months of nurturing before they even start laying eggs. Managing our finances through this timeline is critical,” another farmer added.