Poultry International

Nepal plans to triple
poultry business in 15
years

Nepal’s government has introduced a poultry policy that aims to triple the per-capita consumption and availability of chicken and eggs in the next 15 years by encouraging the commercialization of poultry in areas where necessary infrastructures are already in place, according to reports.

Current average per-capita consumption of poultry meat and eggs stands at 9 kg and 120 pieces. “The long-awaited poultry policy has envisaged strategies including prioritizing the poultry sector for government support programs so as to encourage massive commercialization of this emerging sector that has already seen an investment of over Rs 30 billion (US$385.8 million),” said Dr. Til Chandra Bhattarai, Nepal poultry industry expert.

The policy focuses on incentives such as interest subsidies, exceptions on customs duties and import taxes related to poultry equipment, and simplification of registration. Research and development of new breeds of chicken, promotion of local breeds in areas where infrastructure is still not in place and encouraging insurance against natural disasters are also part of the new policy.

Nepal has also envisioned the grading, labeling and standardization of poultry meat and eggs. The government would extend financial and technical support to establish market centers and an Export Processing Zone for market promotion of poultry products. The policy has also underlined the need to encourage the private sector to set up slaughter houses and meat processing facilities. The policy provides for the establishment of a directive committee to develop the poultry sector on public private partnership and cooperative models.

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Plasma can be effective pathogen killer on uncooked poultry A Drexel University study by food safety researchers has found that plasma can be an effective method for killing pathogens on uncooked poultry, reducing levels of bacteria in high concentrations and eliminating bacteria in low concentrations, according to research published in the January issue of the Journal of Food Protection.

Past studies have already found that plasma, which is non-thermal and therefore does not cook or alter the way food looks, may successfully reduce pathogens on the surface of fruits and vegetables. In the Drexel study, raw chicken samples contaminated with Salmonella enterica and Campylobacter jejuni bacteria were treated with plasma. The treatment eliminated or nearly eliminated bacteria in low levels from skinless chicken breast and chicken skin and significantly reduced the level of bacteria when contamination levels were high, according to the data.

Currently, plasma technology is expensive and not being developed for processing poultry on a large scale. If it becomes cost-effective for use in treating poultry, it may be used in conjunction with existing methods to reduce pathogens, said study lead author Brian Dirks, a graduate student in the College of Arts and Sciences, and it may also help prolong the shelf-life of raw chicken if it can be honed to remove more microorganisms responsible for spoilage.

India culls 20,000 birds at state-run poultry farm

A total of 20,000 chickens were culled at the Central Poultry Development Organization farm in the Indian state of Odisha after the Indian Veterinary Research Institute’s High Security Animal Disease Laboratory confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus there, according to reports.

The farm has a total of 29,000 birds, and the government also ordered the culling of any birds within a three-kilometer radius of the farm. So far 11,955 chicks and 8,045 adult birds have been culled, and officials estimate that 48,000 birds could eventually be culled.