VIJAYAWADA: Taking serious note of the issue of feeding poultry offal and other slaughterhouse waste to fish by certain farmers, the Fisheries Department on Friday issued orders to ban the practice.
The decision was taken following an appeal from the fish farmers association that the practice of feeding fish with offal by a section of farmers was creating a dip in demand for the fish produced in the State. Feeding meat to fish increases carnivorous tendencies in them, leading them to eat one another.
For strict enforcement of the ban order, a committee consisting the tahasildar, village revenue officer, assistant motor vehicle inspector, station house officer and fisheries development officer was constituted.
Poultry and other slaughterhouse wastes are being supplied by groups within the state and the bordering states of Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Odisha. Unprocessed waste of poultry will contain dangerous e-coli bacteria and also toxins such as mercury, arsenic, lead and cadmium.