Poultry Is Safe For Consumption – Agric Minister

The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Hon Owusu Afriyie Akoto has assured the nation that we have no business in fearing to consume live stock and poultry as a result of the emergence of bird flu from October 2021 to date. Briefing the Newsmen in Accra at the Minister’s Briefing session he allayed the fears of Ghanaians that all the necessary precaution to make sure that the people are protected against the disease has been put in place to address the scourge. He told journalists that any poultry meat has gone through proper vertinary scrutiny by the doctors before released for sale. “Before any bird is transported to another region, it must be vetted and cleared of any disease. No bird would be sold without the scrutiny and clearance by the vertinary doctors in every part of the country. So every bird prepared for sale in the country is safe and good for consumption” . The Hon Minister revealed that the government has set aside 44 million gh cedis to combat the disease. As of now, 20million Ghana cedis of the money has been released to purchase cars, vaccines, equipment and logistics. Again 550 vertinary experts are to employed ,whiles education, media and sensitisation programs have been planned to bring the disease under control. Out of the amount, affected farmers would get 14 m gh as compensation. So far 10 regions out of 16 existing ones are currently affected by the disease. Several farmers from these regions whose farms are affected are to be compensated. Several birds have been rendered dead or weakened and have been rendered unusable. He indicated that the disease easily spreads and kills birds quickly from farm to farm and its effects are so disasterous. The minister indicated that the government takes a serious view of the disease and is prepared to save the poultry industry. The minister said that is why a whole system has been put in place to combat the scourge so readily to clear the country of poultry meat . He asked Ghanaians to eat the fowl meat without fear or panic.

Source: Nana Poku /johnawuniktv@gmail.com