PETROVO 62,000 poultry euthanized due to bird flu

(Patria) - 62,000 poultry have been euthanized on a large farm in the municipality of Petrovo where bird flu was confirmed, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Srpska was told today.

Assistant Minister for Veterinary Affairs Negoslav Lukić said there is no need for panic, that the competent services are on the ground and are taking legally defined procedures.

"The movement of poultry and products from the farm is prohibited," Lukić said.

He stated that monitoring will be carried out on all farms in the infected and endangered areas within a 10-kilometer radius.

The head of the municipality of Petrovo, Ozren Petković, ordered that all poultry owners from the area infected with bird flu must report to the competent veterinary organization to determine the number of birds, any deaths, or suspicion of this disease, it was announced from the Municipal Administration of Petrovo.

These are the settlements of Karanovac and Sočkovac.

The order states that all poultry and other birds kept in captivity must be in closed facilities on their own farm.

By a decision dated February 25, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Srpska, in order to prevent the occurrence and spread of avian influenza, designated the area of the settlements of Karanovac and Sočkovac in the municipality of Petrovo, and Boljanić in the city of Doboj, as infected areas.

The settlements of Kakmuž, Kaluđerica and Petrovo, and for the city of Doboj, the settlements of Brezici, Gornja Paklenica, Donji Rakovac, Osojnica, Striježevica, Suvo Polje and Tekućica were designated as endangered areas.

Lukić emphasized that bird flu is a poultry disease and that the risk to public health is low, and that meat in circulation is safe.

He appealed to farmers to pay attention to the health status of their animals.