Mass poultry deaths in Sophia’s Lust spark investigation concerns

Approximately 3,500 chickens have died at Riad Ramdjan’s poultry farm in the Wanica district, near Sophia’s Lust. The mass mortality event, which saw daily deaths spike from a few birds to as many as 300 per day, has left the entrepreneur facing severe financial hardship and a prolonged business shutdown.

Ramdjan has engaged legal counsel to address the situation, citing concerns over the speed and transparency of the investigation by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries (LVV). While avian influenza has been suggested as a possible cause, Ramdjan disputes this diagnosis. He suspects that contaminated or outdated sawdust, sourced from an old batch and applied to the final poultry house shortly before the deaths escalated, may be the true cause.

As of now, definitive laboratory results have not been released to confirm the cause of death or the safety of the bedding material. The ongoing uncertainty and the inability to resume operations have resulted in significant economic losses, with the poultry house valued at approximately SRD 780,000 against a total investment exceeding SRD 1.3 million.