Ministry urges citizens to report harmful substances in livestock
DAR ES SALAAM: DEPUTY Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, Mr Alexander Mnyeti, has urged citizens to report any information regarding harmful substances being administered to livestock, so that the government could immediately take measures to address the problem.
Speaking during the opening of the 8th Tanzania Poultry Show (TPS) in Dar es Salaam, Mr Mnyeti said that all challenges must be reported so that the government can be in a good position to work on them.
Mr Mnyeti said the information about antiretroviral (ARV) drugs being fed to chickens is misleading and has not been thoroughly investigated by the government, which undermines public concerns about the safety of consuming these chickens.
He tasked the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary to investigate the matter.
“I have instructed the Permanent Secretary to find the person who spread this information and provide a detailed explanation on the matter,” said the deputy minister.
He clarified that the government currently has no knowledge of any chickens being fed ARVs, including details about their location or the individuals involved.
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“If we find a farmer doing this, which constitutes animal cruelty, violating the law, as these drugs are intended for human use, not poultry we will take stern measures,” he stressed.
On her part, the Chairperson of the Poultry Association of Tanzania (PAT), Ms Mwamvua Ngacho expressed gratitude to the deputy minister for his swift response to the issue.
“This information about ARVs being fed to chickens could have caused significant fear among consumers and negatively impacted businesses, especially since there is no evidence identifying who is feeding ARVs to chickens,” she said.
