Background:

Ornamental fish, shrimp and Poultry are very valuable, both local and foreign income generating industries in Sri Lanka as well as those industries have generated a large number of job opportunities even with unskilled laborer. This project was started in 2018 as a five year project from 2018 to 2022 under the Animal Health Division of the Department of Animal Production and Health, along with the development of poultry, fish and shrimp industries in Sri Lanka mainly targeting to cater the demands of small scale farmers of Poultry, Shrimp and Ornamental fish industries. With the development of those three industries especially focusing export market, quality of the animals and animal originated products need to be assessed and assured. In order to do that continuous monitoring of the farms for disease status is essential. And also there is a high initial investment required to establish these industries, early diagnosis of diseases are very important in order to take quick actions such as isolation, treatments, prevention…..etc. Otherwise spreading of the diseases will harm whole industry. VRI was the only government reputed laboratory established with advanced diagnostic techniques such as molecular diagnosis – ELISA, PCR; and located in central part of the country, farmers of the mentioned three industries that was condensed in the North Western province and Gampaha district faces problems of transportation of diagnostic samples from their farms to all the way to the Kandy. The cost of transportation as well as time required for transportation is a problem. As the almost all consignments of poultry, ornamental fish get transported using airway and considering the availability of animal quarantine services at Katunayake and Colombo, locations of these laboratories also became important in sending samples for sudden inspections and investigations. In order to address those issues, specialized laboratories were established in North Western Province and Gampaha District separately for the three industries as follows.

• VIC Wariyapola – Poultry Diseases
• VIC Welisara – Ornamental Fish Diseases
• VIC Chilaw – Shrimp Diseases

While facilitation of exportation of quality poultry products, day old chicks, ornamental fish and shrimp; provide laboratory services to small scale farmers at an affordable and reasonable cost are aimed as two objectives at the initiation of this project. Under that aim, above VICs located in high demanding areas of Poultry, Ornamental Fish and Shrimp are already equipped with very valuable and economical equipment’s as well as consumables for the diagnosis of diseases in Ornamental Fish, Shrimp and Poultry using PCR and ELISA Techniques.

Project Objectives:

• Establishment of laboratory unit equipped with novel techniques for quick diagnosis and surveillance of common viral, bacterial and protozoan diseases affecting poultry and fish (Shrimp and ornamental).
• Provide emergency diagnostic service in outbreak situations.
• Regular screening and surveillance of farms and thereby reducing the incidences of outbreaks and minimize the use of antibiotics and other chemicals causing environmental and public health hazards.
• Export facilitation of quality poultry products, day old chicks, ornamental fish and shrimp.
• Provide laboratory services to small scale farmers at an affordable and reasonable cost.
• Sustainable development of poultry and fish industries in the country through mitigation of disease risks.

Mode of intervention:

• Periodical screening and surveillance of fish and poultry breeder farms and hatcheries supplying commercial stocks to grow-out sites in periphery for specific diseases.
• Testing of shrimp in grow out ponds during culture period.
• Immediate response with regard to the disease diagnosis in outbreak situations.
• Adopting novel techniques such as molecular techniques to disease diagnosis.

Expected outputs:

• Establishment of separate laboratory equipped with PCR and ELISA techniques to diagnose commonly available poultry and fish diseases.
• Maintaining breeder farms and hatcheries with minimum disease risks.
• Rapid Veterinary intervention for disease diagnosis and surveillance at a reasonable cost.
• Sustainability of the industries and job security of the farmers engaged.
• Environment and food safety with respect to the antimicrobial drug and chemical residues.
• Facilitated export health certification for live fish, poultry and their products.