COIMBATORE: A proposal to establish a bird sanctuary at Idumbankulam in Mohanur taluk of Namakkal district has drawn opposition over concerns that it could pose a serious biosecurity threat to the district's Rs 10,000-crore poultry industry and jeopardise the livelihoods of lakhs of people.
A petition opposing the proposal was submitted to the Namakkal district administration on Thursday (July 9), warning that developing the area into a bird sanctuary by creating habitats and planting trees could attract large numbers of migratory birds from across India and abroad, thereby increasing the risk of disease transmission to nearby commercial poultry farms.
"The sanctuary could attract migratory wild birds from across India and other countries, raising the possibility of diseases such as avian influenza spreading to poultry farms. Even a single outbreak of avian influenza could trigger the large-scale culling of poultry, inflict heavy losses on thousands of farmers, disrupt egg exports, and result in widespread job losses across the poultry value chain," said PV Senthil, president of the Namakkal East District Congress Committee.
Namakkal, widely recognised as India's egg capital, has evolved into one of the country's largest poultry and egg production hubs over the past five decades.
The industry, estimated at around Rs 10,000 crore annually, supports lakhs of livelihoods and plays a key role in India's egg exports.
Opponents of the proposal fear that any outbreak of avian influenza or other infectious diseases could severely affect the sector and damage the district's long-standing reputation as a disease-free poultry production region.
Even a single outbreak of avian influenza could trigger the large-scale culling of poultry, inflict heavy losses on thousands of farmers, disrupt egg exports, and result in widespread job losses across the poultry value chain-PV Senthil, president of the Namakkal East District Congress Committee
While expressing support for environmental conservation and biodiversity, the Congress Committee urged the Tamil Nadu government to identify an alternative site for the proposed bird sanctuary that would not pose a risk to the poultry industry.
It also called on the government to withdraw the proposal for the Idumbankulam sanctuary in order to safeguard the district's poultry sector and the livelihoods dependent on it.