THOUGH the government has banned import and sale of meat and bone meal because of its health risks to human and livestock, a section of dishonest traders are allegedly continuing the bad practice with importing those items under false declaration. Bangladesh Food Safety Authority had instructed the Customs authorities to enforce the ban strictly on import, sale, storing and any other use of the feed, but the instruction has not properly followed. The protein concentrate for poultry — commonly known as MBM — can cause anthrax, antibiotic resistance, and even cancer, local newspapers reported. Usually, it comes in powder form, and is made from bones of animals, including cow and goat and the small amount of meat attached to the bones. It is no longer allowed in poultry feed in most parts of the world.
We know that poultry is a major source of protein in the country while about 36 percent of human protein intake comes from poultry. Traders commonly import the feeds from European and Latin American countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. The Import Policy had provisions for its import, but under certain conditions – that means it has to be freed from antibiotics, chromium, radiation, virus and bacteria. It took a long time for the authorities concerned to impose ban on the poultry feed. Now it takes more time to fully implement the decision. It is clear that a regulatory ban is not enough. It has also proven that MBM exists in quantities surpassing the official export numbers, which is suggestive of the fact that it is being exported under false declarations.
To stop this — imports under false declarations have to be checked. Side by side, creating domestic sources of production will help us to get rid of the crisis. It will also save a huge amount of foreign currency.
