Cost to producers in the Punjab alone are estimated at around six billion rupees (PKR; €50 million), speakers told a meeting at the University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences (UVAS) in Lahore.

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 Newcastle Disease (NCD), reports Pakistan Today.

Minister Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh 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 Professor Dr Talat Naseer Pasha, Livestock Additional Secretary Khalid Awais Ranjha, Pakistan Poultry Association representatives and veterinary doctors and scientists were also present at the meeting.

Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Talat Naseer Pasha stated that in the Punjab region alone, the cost to poultry farms amounted to PKR 6 billion (€756,000).

According to Pakistan Today, 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.

Minister Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh said the sector was facing problems due to 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 on the market.

Further Reading

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Find out more information on Newcastle disease by clicking here.