Tannery waste in poultry feed

The Bangladesh Agri-culture Research Council has suggested that as many as 63% of chicken in the market are infected with high doses of chemicals.

The use of tannery waste in producing poultry and fish feed poses serious health risks to consumers and creates barriers to creating an enabling and comfortable environment both for entrepreneurs and the general masses.

The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) recently uncovered fake poultry feed industries responsible for producing poultry feed by using tannery waste in Hazaribagh area of old Dhaka city.

  Experts say consumption of tannery waste through eating fish and poultry might lead to liver and kidney diseases. Even cancer has not been ruled out.

According to sources, a lot of small traders in and around Hazaribagh use raw tannery waste as ingredients and supply those to feed factories across the country.

The practice of using tannery waste for fish and poultry feed began around 10 years ago, as the price of imported protein for fish and poultry feed has gone up over the years. Besides, in some respects, poultry feed producers take recourse to high anti-biotic antidotes to have chickens grow fast. Such activities are resorted to only for quick monetary gain, which obviously is considered an unethical practice.

A study conducted by Professor Dr. Abul Hossain of the Chemistry Department of Dhaka University revealed  that tannery waste contains a huge amount of chromium, which, if used in poultry or fish feed, enters the food chain.

People eating such fish, chicken or eggs may be subjected to cancer or liver and kidney-related diseases. If chromium and lead remain in the chicken and fish feed, it can be transferred to people consuming these items.

Such heavy chromium is very much likely to be present in poultry and fish feed manufactured by the Hazaribagh-based factories.

Aleya Feeds Ltd. Managing Director Khan-doker Monsur Hasan, who is also a member of Feed Industries Association Bangladesh, told The Asian Age that the poultry feed producers incorporated in the association are regulated and monitored by the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry and other government subordinate departments on a regular basis. As a result, there is no way for contaminated poultry feed to be produced.