KARACHI, Feb 7: Under the new bylaws approved to regulate poultry farming in the city, no new poultry farm can be established in residential and commercial areas of the city in future while the existing poultry farms within the prohibited domain shall be ordered to move out, it has been officially learnt.

In view of the recent outbreak of viral diseases, including spread of avian influenza, the top hierarchies in the city government have become active to enforce the regulations titled “The Karachi Poultry Farms (Control and Regulation) Bylaws, 2007” at the earliest once they are published in the official gazette.

The officials believe that there should be a fool-proof system to regulate poultry farming in view of the spread of avian influenza (H5N1 strain) so that epidemic threats to the lives of poultry birds, farm owners and workers, and consumers could be averted.

A source in the city government said that the nazim had already approved the bylaws and the only requirement now was an early publication of the official gazette.

The existing farms keeping poultry birds of any age, including chickens, geese, ducks and turkeys will have to obtain licence from the authorities concerned within 30 days from the date of implementation of these laws.

Under the bylaws, no poultry farm shall be established within a distance of one kilometre from a residential or commercial area of the city while the farms existing within the prohibited area shall be ordered to move out. No land can be used as poultry farm without a licence issued by the district officer (poultry services) or an officer authorised by the city nazim to act as a licensing authority.

The laws also fix a minimum distance of 500 metres between two poultry farms and set criteria for the location of sheds, their style as well as caging of birds. Each shed shall have space for maximum 1,000 birds, besides a nine-inch-diameter chimney after every 10 feet gap on the ridge of the floor.

Disinfectants and vaccination shall be made available in the farm. Broiler farm shall be set up on a land separate from the layer farm. A complete record of birds shall be maintained as prescribed in the bylaws.

The licensing authority may grant licence to establish and maintain a farm on payment of a licence fee as specified in the bylaws. The district officer (poultry services) or any person authorised by the nazim to act as the licensing authority may inspect the farm from time to time to ascertain compliance of the conditions set under the bylaws. The authority may in his discretion impose such conditions as may appear to him necessary for improvement of the farm.

The licensing authority may order seizure or destruction of birds if he has reasons to believe that the birds are infected with deadly virus and unfit for human consumption. However, the birds shall be destroyed only when the diseases are confirmed by medical tests.

The authority may refuse to grant or cancel a licence for violation of any conditions laid down in the bylaws. The person aggrieved after refusal or cancellation of license may appeal to the Appellate Authority (the City Nazim) within seven days from the order, while the order passed in appeal shall be final.

Any person can be prosecuted for violation of any provision of the bylaws and court may punish the offender to pay fine up to Rs5,000 and a further fine of Rs2,000 for the each passing day if the laws are continued to be violated.

When contacted, the newly posted EDO (Agriculture), Shabbir Ahmad Bhurt, said that poultry farms would be categorised in three groups as per the number of birds they housed. A licence fee of Rs15,000 would be required from a farm housing 10,000 birds, while Rs500 from farm up to 5,000 birds and Rs200 from a farm housing 1,000 or less birds.

He said that plans were being submitted to the authorities for expansion and capacity building of the district office of poultry services in order to ensure proper implementation of the regulations. Applications for issuance of licences would be invited from the farmers as soon as the bylaws were notified in the official gazette, he said.