<p>Order of the National Green Tribunal (Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata) in the matter of In Re: Unchecked cattle sheds on the opposite side of police outpost in Bidhannagar, dispute regarding its demolition
The risk of a human influenza pandemic remains real and is probably growing as the bird flu virus becomes entrenched in poultry in more countries, health officials warned on Tuesday. Some 150 experts are attending a meeting hosted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to update its guidance to countries on how to boost their defences against a deadly global epidemic.
The Punjab Livestock Department has announced to start a programme on May 15 to save animals from diseases in summer and rainy season. Department Extension Director General Dr Irfan Zahid chairing a department meeting on Monday said animals would get injections fighting various diseases. This campaign will continue till June 15 throughout the province while in the second phase of it, injections will be given to animals from June 16 to September 30. Livestock farmers will receive facility of vaccination. Copyright Business Recorder, 2008
NWFP Minister for Livestock and Dairy Development Haji Hidayatullah Khan was told Saturday that the NWFP has surpassed all other provinces of the country in artificial insemination as a result of which the milk production has increased. He was informed about the dairy development in a briefing given to him during a visit to the Directorate of Livestock and Dairy Development by Muqarab Ali Khan, Director Livestock NWFP. Livestock Officers of 24 districts were also present on this occasion.
The Blue Cross Society, Assam, a society for the welfare of animals celebrated World Veterinary Day on 26 April, 2008, Saturday in the auditorium of the College of Veterinary Science under the chairmanship of Dr T Rahman, president of the society, stated a press release. In this connection, a public meeting was held in which five distinguishhed veterinarians of the State, namely, Dr S C Talukdar, Dr K N Deka, Dr K C Sarma, Dr T Barthakur and Dr S N Bora were honoured with Pranimitra award by the society.
The Environment Ministry began testing wild swans, geese and ducks against bird flu virus Thursday in Akita, Aomori and Hokkaido prefectures on the heels of the recent finding of the deadly H5N1 strain of virus in swans in Akita, ministry officials said.
The way America produces meat, milk and eggs is unsustainable, creates significant risks to public health from antibiotic resistance and disease, damages the environment and unnecessarily harms animals, a report released Tuesday says.
A three-year-old Indonesian boy who died last week had bird flu, a health ministry official confirmed Wednesday, bringing the toll to 108 in the country worst hit by the disease. The child, from a village in Wonogiri in Central Java, died at a state hospital in nearby Solo city on April 23, health ministry spokeswoman Lili Sulistyawati said. "The results of two tests on the patient's samples showed that he was infected with the H5N1 virus," Sulistyawati said. Two positive test results are needed before Indonesian authorities confirm a bird flu infection.
Rajya Sabha MP Naresh Gujral today said farmers across the country, especially in Punjab, suffered a setback due to the decision of the Union government to withdraw incentives given under a scheme for export of skimmed milk, ghee and other dairy products. The Union government had extended the incentive schemes by a year on April 11, but then decided to withdraw it within a week of its announcement with an objective to bring down the domestic prices, Gujral said.
With the detection of bird flu in Bishalgarh, the Shipaijala Sanctuary is taking all measures to prevent any outbreak of the H5N1 virus. As a preventative step the authorities have sent blood samples of birds from the sanctuary yesterday for testing. Culling operation was on in full swing and all birds within a periphery of 5 KM of the affected area were being culled, except those in the sanctuary. According to an Animal Resource Department official, the Shipaijala Sanctuary inmates do not fall under the culling operation as it has many rare species.
Bird flu raging uncontrolled in neighbouring Bangladesh was proving to be a continuing threat to Tripura, where culling was under way after the outbreak of the H5N1 virus in the State. "Even if we cull all our birds within a five km radius of the disease-hit areas, bird-flu affected areas in Bangladesh are very close to our border villages and there are places which fall within 100 yards of affected areas in the neighbouring country,' Animal Resource Department Director Asish Roy Burman said today.
