Chicken safe despite drop in sales

Supermarket Association of TT (SATT) president Heeranand Maharaj told Newsday yesterday that chicken sales at all local supermarkets had slowed down since reports appeared in the press about an outbreak of aspergillosis at a poultry farm in Cumuto last week.

He indicated that while people are still purchasing chicken in the supermarkets, concerns about aspergillosis have resulted in some consumers opting to purchase other commodities in larger quantities instead of chicken. Among those commodities are beef, fish, turkey, lamb, goat and vegetables.

Maharaj said there remains a sufficient stock of chickens available at the supermarkets and there is no chance of a shortage of other meats or vegetables as a result of some consumers opting to purchase them as opposed to chicken. SATT’s membership comprises all supermarkets in TT including major chains Hi-Lo, JTA and Tru Valu.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Ministry officials yesterday informed Newsday that "there is absolutely nothing wrong" with the poultry that is currently on the supermarkets’ shelves or that is en route to the supermarkets.

Officials said there is "a plethora of measures in place" to ensure that only chickens that are fit for consumption reach the market. The officials reiterated that aspergillosis poses no threat to either the public or the poultry industry as a whole and it is safe to purchase chicken.

In an interview with Newsday last week, Agriculture Minister Jarette Narine said Government will do what it can to ensure that the aspergillosis situation does not adversely affect the poultry industry and its stakeholders.

A news conference will be held at the Ministry’s Programme Coordinating Unit in St Clair at 10 am today to address public concerns about aspergillosis, bird flu and the safety of local poultry for consumption.

The conference will be chaired by officials from the Ministries of Health and Agriculture and the Poultry Association of TT. Ronnie Mohammed, vice president of Nutrimix said the Ministry of Agriculture was slow in responding to public fears.

He said an advisory should have been put out telling the public that chicken was safe to eat.

Mohammed said just as consumers are told about what prices to pay for chicken, similarly people should have been told that "there are safe and healthy chickens out there."

He told Newsday there is no activity at Cyril St Cyr’s farm in Cumuto after last Friday’s culling exercise which got rid of the chickens left after the outbreak of the fungal infection, aspergillosis. Mohammed said the investigation done by the company has indicated a breach of company procedure. "We will be communicating with him (St Cyr) in due course."

Mohammed said Nutrimix will ensure that sanitary conditions are not compromised at any of its farms. "We are not doing anything that will compromise the quality of poultry produced," he added.

Approximately 275 farms are contracted by Nutrimix.