State may screen cattle feed

By Roy Mathew

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, APRIL 7. The State may step up testing of cattle feed against the background of United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)'s warning that India is at risk of harbouring mad cow disease.

The shrinking feed and fodder base is forcing many cattle farmers in the State to go for artificial feeds. Though the feed manufactured by the cooperative sector in the State is safe, there are rumours that some other manufacturers use poultry and fish waste for feed production. The chances that they may be using even meat waste to manufacture cattle feed could not be ruled out.

The Secretary (Animal Husbandry), Mr. Sajan Peter, said the Government was setting up a Rs. 4-crore feed testing laboratory with assistance from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The Government of India had cleared the import of equipment for the laboratory and the State Government was providing the land and infrastructure.

He said the department currently sent samples for testing in Bangalore. If there were complaints about cattle feed, action could be taken.

The animal fights group, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA India), notes that livestock diseases such as foot and mouth disease was rampant in the country. Mad cow disease was a serious possibility considering the methods used by the meat industry. Although Indian law required that animals killed for food be tested for diseases, this is hardly, if ever, done.

The risk of foot and mouth disease among cattle in Kerala is high. The incidence is currently about five per cent. An outbreak of the disease had occurred in Thiruvananthapuram district in 1999. According to the Director of Animal Husbandry, systematic vaccination of cattle against the disease had been undertaken in the last two years. The coverage was 60 per cent, he claimed.

However, according to the Economic Review, 2000, the number of vaccinations done during 1999-2000 was only 5.29 lakhs. (The cattle population of Kerala is nearly 34 lakhs). It is notable that the outbreak of the disease had occurred after 1997-98 when the number of vaccinations carried out was the lowest (2.85 lakhs) in seven years. As many as 25 lakh vaccinations had been done during 1995-96.

Mr. Sajan Peter said that one of the problems with the vaccinations was that the immunity lasted only six months. So, the department was now using oil adjuvant vaccine that gave immunity for nine months. Vaccinations using this vaccine was being done on a large scale.

He said that control of the disease was difficult because of the inflow of cattle from Tamil Nadu where the disease was prevalent. (As per a study by the Swiss Agency about 11 lakh animals were being brought into Kerala every year). So, joint efforts were needed. The department had established a disease free zone in the State and elimination of rinder pest from the area had been achieved.

According to the Economic Review, Kerala has the relative advantage for substantially increasing the manufacture and export of meat and meat products as it is the only State which could build up and maintain a disease free zone against contagious diseases. Male calves available as the by-product of intensive cross breeding programme are estimated to be about 1.5 lakh every year. If properly looked after for value addition, these could be used for export.

However, much would depend on the State's ability to eliminate foot and mouth disease which have caused a scare in Western Europe. FAO has said that the virus strain that recently arrived in the United Kingdom was native to the Indian subcontinent. However, this has been challenged by others. But, many countries recently banned meat import from India.

Kerala would also have to see that farming practices that caused mad cow and foot and mouth diseases in Europe are not adopted here. Viruses spread like wildfire on factory farms, common in Europe, where animals are crammed together. Another area needing attention is the slaughter houses where unhygienic conditions prevail. "Unhealthy and seemingly healthy cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and chicken are dragged together to slaughter floors awash with blood and faeces, where their throats are hacked with unclean blades," complains Ms. Poorva Joshipura, director of investigations of PETA India.

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