LAHORE, March 23: Mutton and beef prices have shot up in the city owing to a sharp increase in demand in view of the bird flu scare. Mutton and beef are being sold at record high prices because most of the consumers have given up the chicken consumption after confirmation of the bird flu in the NWFP.

Average mutton price has increased from Rs220 per kg to Rs250 per kg and beef price from Rs100 to Rs160 per kg. Prime quality mutton and beef are being sold up to Rs300 and Rs200 per kg, respectively.

The butchers justify overcharging on the grounds that the prices have gone up in the wholesale market and they cannot sell meat at lower price.

Chicken price has reduced from Rs90 per kilo to Rs50 per kg owing to decrease in demand following confirmation of the bird flu in the NWFP. Even the educated people are reluctant to use chicken despite an advice by poultry experts that the virus, if present, is killed during cooking making the meat safe for consumption.

The City District Government Lahore has launched a campaign for preventing butchers from taking undue advantage of sharp increase in demand of mutton and beef as a result of the bird flu scare and fleecing the consumers.

A number of butchers have been jailed and fined, and FIRs lodged against scores of them by the price checking teams, but the others continue to fleece the consumers.