Accra, July 5, GNA - Dr George Kwame Aning, Director of the Animal Research Institute of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, on Wednesday said lack of credible data in the poultry industry was affecting its development.

He said the last time data was collected was in 1997 and was for census purposes and 10 years down the lane, it was necessary for them to have data on the number of poultry farmers; chicken hatcheries; feed; soya cake; fish meal and wheat brands among other things for proper planning.

Dr Aning said this when members of the Poultry Development Board met farmers for the first time to interact. The Board, inaugurated in September, 2005 would ensure adequate and continuous supply of essential feed ingredients, quality day old chicks and veterinary medicaments, vaccines and diagnosis equipment and reagents.

It would also promote rigorous modernisation of the industry; production of processed poultry product to meet culinary demands; establish procedures for regulating and monitoring chick placements with the view to avoiding seasonal gluts or shortages of eggs and chicken.

Dr Aning noted that the poultry industry had for sometime now been relying on projections for their planning and described that as not the best for planning purposes and called on the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and the Veterinary Services Department to embark on data collection for proper planning.

The Reverend Dr Kwabena Darko, Chairman of the Board, said the Board since its establishment was working through the various stakeholders on the bird flu scare.

He said it was important for bio-security on farms to be taken seriously by poultry farmers to prevent the incidence of the disease on their farms.

Rev Darko, who is also the head of Darko Farm, reiterated the need to have credible data to enable them to formulate policy and plan for a five year poultry development programme. Dr Joseph Adongo Awuni, Senior Veterinary Officer, allayed the fears of the public on bird flu and spoke against the recommendation of vaccination against avian influenza adding; "it is dangerous to the very survival of the poultry industry".

He said the Veterinary Services Directorate and the Ministry of Agriculture would ensure that the bird flu did not enter the country and urged Ghanaians to put aside selfish interests and to respect the restrictions place on the movement of poultry and poultry products across borders.