Unsafe milk in Tamil Nadu attributed to lack of cattle feed regulation
CHENNAI: The presence of Aflatoxin M1, a cancer-causing substance, in the milk, which was revealed in the survey of the FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India), was attributed to an unregulated cattle feed market, lack of mechanism to check the feed quality and absence of storage facility.
The Animal Husbandry department, entrusted with the task of monitoring health condition of cattle, said it would intensify awareness among farmers about cattle feed storage.
A Gnanasekaran, Director of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Service, said, “We have asked all district joint directors to sensitise the cattle-owners and farmers owning storage of fodder and feed throughout the year. The feed won’t get fungal infection during summer season.”
Cattle are fed with paddy straw, fodder and concentrate mixture. The concentrate feed is prepared using different varieties of cake along with foodgrains, husk, minerals and molasses obtained from sugar mills. The paddy straw or fodder is facing threat of fungus infection during rainy season mainly because of lack of proper storage space, say milk producers.
MG Rajendran, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Milk Producers’ Welfare Association (TNMPWS), said, “Kodi kadalai (groundnut) or paddy straw is mostly stored in farmers’ houses. During rainy seasons feed is covered with plastic sheets since we have never had dedicated places for storage.”
Rajendran added that since it was too laborious to dry the feed during rainy seasons and required lot of manpower, the government should increase the milk procurement price by `5 as an incentive to produce Aflatoxin-free milk. “Regulating the cattle feed distribution will be an uphill task. We are ready to cooperate with the government if they initiate any regulatory system. But milk farmers should not be harassed and there should not be outright seizure of milk under any circumstances,” said Rajendran.
However, the consumer activists have said the presence of toxic substance in milk has scared the people and demanded transparency in the quality of consumables.
T Sadagopan, president, Tamil Nadu Progressive Consumers’ Centre, said, “Results of tests and inspections conducted on any food products have to be updated in the FSSAI website. Except the King Institute in Guindy, consumers did not have provisions to check the quality of milk or any other consumers. The FSSAI’s functioning should be made transparent.”