ALAPPUZHA: The animal husbandry department (AHD) is keeping a strict vigil on all 19 suspected routes used by illegal cattle traffickers from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in the wake of bird flu outbreak.
AHD director N. Sasi said check posts had been alerted for a close monitoring considering the high possibilities of trafficking.
Check posts in the state are known for lack of men and facilities for a long. The AHD wants to improve infrastructure including new fibre-roofed kiosks for officials at check posts after several instances of diseased cattle transported to Kerala.
Earlier this year, they issued directions to all check-posts to ensure their quality.
They expect increased arrivals during the Christmas and New Year season. The declining demand for duck and chicken will propel requirement of beef.
The duck farmers keep alleging that the hype over the bird flu in Kerala was always a "meat mafia" conspiracy. All Kerala Duck Farmers Society demands to crack the unholy nexus between officials and the "mafia".
"They were conspiring to scuttle the market. Whenever duck market gains traction, there will be a crisis like bird flu," said Bency Thomas, its joint-secretary.
Meanwhile, animal rights activists say chances of illegal cattle trafficking is very high as the district level Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu are currently dysfunctional.
M. N. Jayachandran, member, Kerala Animal Welfare Board, said some 350 multi-axle national-permit lorries with a carrying capacity of 36 to 40 cattle travel between Tamil Nadu and Kerala every alternative day. At least 150 kg of meat is extracted from each of them having an average weight of 250 kg. Some 50 trucks come from Karnataka.
"All these cattle transport is illegal as the statute limits carrying to six animals in a massive lorry. Though all the check posts are meant for a thorough physical checkup of animals, they are unmanned due to non-filling of the vacancies of vets. They are notorious for kickbacks," he said.
Kerala is one of the to meat consuming states in the country with a daily requirement of 5,000 tonnes. Close to 80 percent of its population is non-vegetarian.
Domestic production of meat (beef, mutton and chicken) is only around 264.31 tonnes.
RRF teams cull 1,325 ducks
Alappuzha: The Rapid Response Force teams culled 1,325 infected ducks in Kuttanad on Saturday. The six teams set up jointly by the district administration and the departments of animal husbandry and health will continue the culling, said Mr V. Gopakumar, nodal officer. In Thakazhi panchayat, 197ducks and in Neelamperooor 882 ducks were culled. In Cheruthana, 246 ducks were buried.
Duck culling in Kottayam from Tuesday
The culling of the ducks hit by the bird flu here will be conducted from Tuesday after getting the test results from the high security laboratory in Bhopal, it is learnt.
District collector C. Latha will convene a meeting at the collectorate on Monday to discuss the steps to stem the spread of the disease.
Dr J. Hariharan, district animal husbandry officer, said the department was planning to kill the ailing ducks from Tuesday after getting the confirmatory diagnosis.
A total of 517 ducks died in the district on Saturday. These include 150 ducks of Sunil Kumar of Pulikkattusserry near Aymanam, 327 of Chellappan of Aarpookara, 30 of Varkey Kurian of Aarpookara and 10 of Lalan of Kumarakom panchayat.
