Imported toxic animal feed posing serious public health threat

ACCORDING to a recent report published in a national daily, meat and bone meal (MBM) is prohibited in most of European and many non-European countries as cattle feed because it has already proved to be harmful and held responsible for epidemic of Borine spongi form encaphalopathy or commonly known as ‘mad cow disease’ in 1990s. Bangladesh has become vulnerable to this disease due to free import of MBM feeds. This disease most easily pass into human body by way of eating contaminated foods, such as brain, spinal cord or digestive tract of infected animals. Moreover MBM carries toxic chemicals, consumption of which could infect human with deadly disease like cancer. In this background the disclosure is highly alarming that around 6000 metric tonnes of MBM were imported from Paraguay, Croatia and United Arab Emirates in the last six months as cattle and poultry feeds.

Poisonous and harmful feeds, named meat and bone meal (MBM), are prohibited in many countries because of their serious negative effects on animal and human health. But importers in Bangladesh continue to import these as cattle, fish and poultry feed that ultimately enter the human food chain. It is highly dangerous for human health and in our view its import must be banned immediately as per experts opinion.

It is not unknown to business circle that the existing import policy as also under the previous import policy makes it mandatory for importers to take prior permission from the Department of Livestock Services before importing MBM. The importers are required to submit certificates of origin of the exporting countries to the Customs Authority before unloading the consignments. It must make the declaration that the merchandise is free from any harmful by-products. But importers did not notify the regulatory authority-the Department of Livestock Services, whether or not they contain any such harmful element. They just took the advantage of the import policy order as there was no bar on import of MBM feeds. Thus importers took permission from the Commerce Ministry and managed everything by-passing Department of Livestock Services.

What is most noticeable is that Bangladesh lacks the testing mechanism to see whether the imported or locally produced animal feeds carry any harmful chemicals, residues or deadly agents that pose serious threats to the public health. So, the only option is to stop import of MBM immediately. Cattle farming, fishery and poultry are essential to meet nutritional requirement in a developing economy. But its feed production or imported feed should not create a situation to make human life affected and cause bigger public health crisis. We cannot allow importers to play with public health. The concerned authorities must check the case and take preventive steps forthwith.