New Delhi, Feb 09: The poultry industry has said internationally prescribed bio-security measures are followed in the country and chicken was 'totally' free from any virus particularly bird flu. Northern India Poultry Breeders Association (NIPBA) and Poultry Federation of India (PFI) jointly said that India was self- sufficient in poultry and do not import any live bird or live vaccines or dressed meat. Even the breeding and rearing process of the bird is done within the country. Despite confirmations by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the ministries of agriculture, animal husbandry and health that Indian poultry is free from any such suspected outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza in India, the sale of chicken has been plummetting every day, said Shabbir Ahmed Khan, president of the PFI for the northern region, at a joint press meet here. He demanded confidence building measures in the general consumer so that the industry could be saved from the beyond reparable damage. Khan said every possible step was being taken at the farm and market level to avoid any such outbreak of this virus. NIPBA and PFI have also decided to hold chicken melaas in the metros and other towns with the participation of the reputed personalities to demonstrate that the product was free from any infection and was safe for human consumption. The technology and facilities of disease surveillance in the country are much more advanced than the neighbouring countries like Vietnam which is at least 50 years behind India, Khan said. He added that Pakistan was the only affected country sharing a border with India but the pathogen reported here was of low risk variety and different from the one effecting other South East Asian countries. PFI and NIPBA clarified that there was no reason to be panic and consumers could enjoy their favourite chicken dishes. The bird flu epidemic had spread in other South East Asian countries and the Rs 30,000 crore domestic poultry industry was unncessarily being pushed to the verge of closure, he said. Bureau Report