Many poultry farmers in Rivers State have raised the alarm over a wierd illness that has induced the demise of hundreds of birds, in response to The PUNCH.
The farmers, who disclosed that the illness has defied medication administered on the birds, solicited the intervention of the federal government as a way to save their investments from being misplaced.
Chatting with newsmen, one of many affected poultry farm homeowners in Obio/Akpor Native Authorities Space of the state, Chukwudi Wonwu expressed disappointment that he watched his birds dropping helplessly.
Wonwu known as on the state authorities to step up and supply a remedy in order that poultry farmers wouldn't be pressured out of enterprise, stating that the illness is a risk to meals safety.
"It affects both the broilers and the layers," he said with bitterness.
One other poultry farmer who misplaced hundreds of birds to the illness, Bola Ewuno said that she took a mortgage from the financial institution to launch the enterprise and questioned how she was going to repay it because of the losses incurred.
She defined that many poultry farmers are going via difficulties, particularly with the brand new variant of the illness killing birds in giant portions.
"They should intervene, and if there is any insurance cover, they should come and educate us more on that area, so that we will know the next line of action to take."In the meantime, a veterinary physician, Eniola Idowu who performed the postmortem on the contaminated birds stated pressing motion was required in order that such birds don't discover their approach into the market.
"When people are losing birds, they are losing their investment. They even find it difficult to report. They will be looking at how to solve the problem on their own," he said
