Nongpoh, November 13: The failure of the state government to fulfil its promise, made in 2025, to establish a quarantine check post to inspect poultry brought into Meghalaya from outside the state has prompted members and leaders of the Meghalaya Poultry Farmers and Welfare Association to take matters into their own hands by conducting inspections of poultry-carrying vehicles without any monitoring by the concerned government department.
On Thursday night, leaders and members of the Association went to the Pahammawlein Toll Plaza to inspect vehicles transporting chickens from outside the state. However, their inspection exercise proved unsuccessful as they could not intercept even a single poultry-carrying vehicle. They suspected that the vehicles might have avoided the route after receiving prior information about the Association’s inspection drive.
Speaking to the media, Association spokesperson William Diengdoh said the Association had been compelled to conduct inspections of poultry-carrying vehicles coming from outside the state due to the government’s failure to honour its promise of establishing a quarantine check post.
He said the arrival of poultry from outside the state not only affected consumers but also adversely impacted local poultry farmers, as the prices of their locally raised chickens were being driven down.
He also presented documentary evidence indicating that healthy chickens were sold at one price, while sick or diseased chickens were sold at a much lower price. He said this raised concerns that much of the poultry being supplied to the state could consist of sick or diseased birds, potentially posing a serious health risk to consumers.
Diengdoh further said the entry of diseased chickens from outside the state could also spread infections to poultry rearing by local farmers.
Questioning the government’s response to the issue, he asked what steps it intended to take to address the growing difficulties faced by poultry farmers in the state, particularly when the government had repeatedly assured them that their concerns would be addressed.
