THANJAVUR: Broiler chicken sale across Tamil Nadu will come to a halt from July 31 after the Tamil Nadu Chicken Traders Federation on Monday announced an indefinite strike, demanding that poultry producers implement the mandatory 8-12 hour feed withdrawal period before sending the birds for slaughter to ensure food safety and meat quality.
Federation president B Durairaj told reporters that the suspension of sale would continue until poultry producers comply with the state government’s 2024 guidelines to ensure hygiene in transporting vehicles and broiler chicken outlets.
Durairaj said the government had issued the guideline to allow the emptying of gastrointestinal tract of the birds. This would reduce littering in transport crates which affect hygiene during transport and at shops. The practice will also minimise the risk of faecal contamination at processing stage, resulting in product safety, Durairaj said.
However, poultry producers are still sending live broiler chicken with running feed to shops, and this compromises the quality of meat and food safety. The livelihood of traders is also affected, Durairaj said. Therefore, traders will not sell chicken to consumers till poultry producers announce that they would transport the birds only after adopting the feed control measures. He added that traders in Puducherry would also join the strike and those in Kerala are expected to announce their decision soon.