Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) has demanded that in addition to the existing reference laboratory at NARC Islamabad, other two laboratories such as National Veterinary Laboratory (NVL) Islamabad and Microbiological Laboratory at University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore should be considered and included in the project document for Diagnosis of Avian Influenza. In a letter to Ministry of Food, Agriculture & Livestock (Minfal), Dr Bashir Mahmood Bhatti, Secretary General/Technical Adviser, PPA said that the proposed arrangements would repose confidence in stakeholders in poultry sector regarding disease diagnostics and effectively dispel any misgivings created by the vested interest or otherwise. It may be recalled that in the emergent meeting of stakeholders held recently at Lahore, the stakeholders discussed with concern role of reference laboratory for diagnosis of Avian Influenza at Islamabad. The stakeholders were of the view that there should be more than one reference laboratory and on the basis of consensus of these laboratories any epidemic be declared to OIE. Such unequivocal declaration would be valid and acceptable for all purposes, he added. Dr Bhatti further demanded that farmer education programme/campaign should also be launched on vast scale to popularise and give awareness to farmers on newer concepts of poultry farming. He emphasised the need to organise seminars, workshops and media campaigns etc to popularise controlled poultry houses to establish profitable poultry farming in the width and breadth of the country. Secretary general PPA pointed out that in the emergent meeting of stakeholders of the poultry sector held in Lahore on 5th August, 2008, a lot of concern was expressed on increasing prices of poultry feeds which was discussed and explained by feed millers to be due to increasing price of raw materials. He demanded that in the face of increased prices, quality of poultry feed be guaranteed and a tag be attached with feed bags to indicate contents in terms of nutrients. He emphasised that price of poultry feed should be reduced through reduction in dealer's commission and also by reductions in feed mills margins. He argued that the proposals of stakeholders should be considered and action may be taken to implement the proposals of stakeholders in the interest of sustainability of poultry sector.