Rao Dilshad Hussain

The use of unhealthy and unhygienic raw-material during the processing of food and drink edibles have become common practice here in Pakistan and this is happening in every food and drink producing sector both at small and large scales since many decades. But the government and state institutions could not prevent this act. Despite of having many institutions at district and provincial levels those should have to prevent these food edibles producers but they are failed to eradicate such manufacturers. This is the same going on with poultry feed and a number of unregistered vendors have been successfully running this business whether these are producing feed for animals or birds and they are not providing healthy feed besides some registered companies.

A number of local and multinational companies are producing poultry feed The poultry feed is being made by the many healthy and unhealthy ingredients including wastage of chicken, mutton and beef meat, waste rice, corn, slaughtered animals’ bones, spices, different chemicals and especially during the winter season local made wine is also injected to the broiler birds while during the summer glucose has been used feed to maintain the temperature and gaining the weight of the poultry birds within the forty days. Wine and glucose have not been given to them at large scale but after intermingling of water.

The priority of the minor-farmers of villages is just to get maximum profit through poultry farming. They always strive to produce more than two kg poultry bird with in 40 days at any cast but they have got very near to two kg per bird. They don’t care that what they are going to feed the poultry birds and because of their harmful act many diseases pass on to the human body.

Since the recent years some business men indulged in this business and a number of control Shedds have constructed and enormous are in the processing while more than twelve units are producing the feed for the poultry birds and the chance of the using the unhealthy raw-material is dwindling day by day because of emerging the latest technology in this sector.

Sunday plus talked to many doctors and farmers who are associated with the poultry sector to probe that which feed the poultry birds is required and what are they taking now a days and common diseases of poultry birds.

While talking to Sunday plus Vet-Pathologist Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed Khan told, “Because of negligence of the farmers, there are some common diseases have frequently existing like new castle (rani khait), infectious bursal (ghamgoro), hydro-pericardium syndrome (angara) avian influenza (bird flu) while avian influenza and new castle can easily transferred to human body. If someone eats uncooked or half-cooked chicken meat then avian influenza can be positive in the human body and that is too difficult to treat the affected patient here in Pakistan but in the west can be easier. New castle disease can also transferred to human body that can be harmful for the eyes and Extreme eating habits of the chicken meat can weak the eye sight gradually. Thank God Almighty while cooking at heavy-temperature bird flu does not affect but new castle does.”

On a query, he suggested, Semi-cooked can be more harmful and everybody should be ware of bar B Q dishes. In fact everybody at risk including consumers, vendor and cooks they all should take precautionary measures like wearing the gloves before treating chicken meat. Chicken should need minimum 100 to 130 centigrade then there is no virus exists. So while cooking everybody must be made sure required temperature.

“With the arrival of the newly control sheds for the poultry farming Pakistan has dwindled a number problems that poultry industry had to face a few years ago. Many feed producers are thriving on this business scientifically and now poultry feed is making with the dirtiest ingredients. But it is the duty of the government to check the control and open sheds because frequently farmers supply some weak and sick poultry birds to the markets that are carrying diseases.

“As we haven’t any other choices and everything is made by the pesticides and urea fertilizers that we have to eat just chicken meat is not responsible to spread the diseases. Six week’s man made poultry bird should not come to the market farmers should have to give more time to the birds.” Dr. Imtiaz was of the view.

Sunday Plus talked to Hamid Shakur owner of the newly constructed control sheds has told, “With construction of the environment control sheds we have over come many problems because through these sheds we can easily provide the required temperature to the birds. Everything is completed by the computerised mechanism and treat room provides the feed through machines. Workers visit the sheds but just to vet the birds during their vaccination days. Vaccination is injected just to prevent the birds from the diseases and it does not use to enhance the weight of the birds. It is nothing sans propaganda and misperception.”

On a query regarding quality of feed edibles he added, “We can get 2 kg safe poultry bird but with in 37 to 40 days but it is happened because of high protein feeding. Feed producing companies are supplying healthy feed to farmers for poultry sector. They don’t use unhealthy ingredients during the feed processing. We are looking after more than thirty thousand poultry birds same time. The environment control sheds are the good addition for the poultry industry.”

“If human body can digest the poisoned wheat, vegetables, drinks and many other contaminated food edibles while God Almighty has bestowed the most powerful digestion system to the poultry birds. So that is why they can easily digest feed that is being made by the various feed processing companies while unregistered producers in the rural areas are still manufacturing contaminated feed for the poultry industry but there are doing it at small scales.” Dr Abdul Star poultry pathologist from told said.

Vet nutritionist Dr. Shah Nawaz Rana told, commercial feed is absolutely being processing specifically according to the genetics of the birds to have good production. There are three process of feeding to the poultry birds like day one to fourteen, called pre-starter period and fifteen to twenty eight days called grower time while the third ten days called finisher feed days.”

“Now it is too convenience to get good production with in the forty days because control sheds provide required environment to the birds. After having these control sheds farmer can easily tend thousands of birds according the requirements.

“The healthy and hygienic poultry feed is persisted of ingredients like corn, tips rice and rice polishing layers, millet (bajra) sorghum, wheat bran, vegetables animals bones and meat, minor fish oil while sunflower and canola seeds play a vital role to make the feed. But if any discrepancy is left during the processing the feed then hygienic and healthy feed can also be harmful. Animal’s bones provide the phosphorus that is also helping in the growth. Registered feed processing companies are not producing unhealthy feed.

“But prior the bracing of unhealthy and unhygienic poultry feed, improper disposal of poultry waste and absence of legislation concerning feed ingredients and medication pose a serious threat to the human health. But now there is thriving systematically and complications have been vanishing gradually, Dr Shahnawaz briefed the Sunday plus regarding hygienic feed.

“On a query, he said, “if the any rural farmer uses the desi wine to maintain the temperature and for enhancing the weight of the birds that can be individual effort. But it is sure that that kind of act is not doing at large scale and control sheds owners are getting feed from the spacious companies. As well as glucose is concerned that is also given into the control sheds. So we can say that poultry is not as harm as people are discussing.

“Healthy feed, environment and breed can be brought revolution in the poultry sector. It is very sad, when people say that just poultry is the responsible to spread all the diseases. People should not targeted poultry because every food edible is full of contaminated ingredients and thriving successfully. The need of the hour to empower the poultry industry and newl technology should be introduced to enhance the quantity and then quality must be improved. Government should regulate this industry in the larger interest of the consumers and should prevent those who are providing unhealthy feed to poultry.

“During a case study about the impact of chicken meat on the human body along with Dr Slahudin Faiz, after a great effort eventually we were succeeded to find out the guy who was just 14 but having. His secret organs are growing unexpectedly when we tried to detect the facts then we had come to know that he was used to eat chicken meat extremely against his father’s wish and that is he reached puberty stage two or three years before. So chicken meat’s extreme usage can be harmful, M. Azhar khalid D.D. Wildlife said.