Lok Sabha Question No. 378 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2015-12-01
Subject: Feeding of Poultry
Ministry: AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
Asked by: HARI MANJHI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY, DAIRYING AND FISHERIES LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 378 TO BE ANSWERED ON 1 ST  DECEMBER, 2015

## FEEDING OF POULTRY

## 378. SHRI HARI MANJHI:

Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ षि एवं ककसान कल्याण मंत्री be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that poultry farmers in various States are injecting/ feeding their poultry with antibiotic and other medicines to increase their weight;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether it is a fact that the consumers of these poultry products have become immune to antibiotic medicines with fatal consequences;
- (d) if so, whether the Government is considering to enact a strict law to check the misuse of antibiotic medicines; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE

(DR. SANJEEV KUMAR BALYAN)

- (a) & (b) No information has been received from any State Government regarding injecting/feeding of poultry with antibiotic and other medicines by poultry farmers to increase their weight. However, as  per  report  released  on  30.07.2014  by  Centre  for  Science  and  Environment  (CSE),  a  nongovernment  organization  70  chicken  samples  collected  from  Delhi  and  National  Capital  Region (NCR) were tested. On testing on three tissues viz. muscle, liver and kidney from these samples presence  of  six  antibiotics  commonly  used  in  poultry  such  as  Oxytetracycline,  chlortetracycline, doxycyclines, enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and neomycin were reported.
- (c)  As  per  information received from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, no studies has been conducted    to  assess  that  the  consumers  of  poultry  products  have  become  immune  to  antibiotic medicines with fatal consequences.

(d) &( e)  The Central Drugs Standards and Control Organization (CDSCO) has informed that in order to have focused regulation on manufacture and sale of antibiotics and habit forming drugs, the Drugs & Cosmetics Rule, 1945 were amended vide Gazette Notification No GSR 588 (E) dated 30.08.2013 w.e.f. 01.03.2014 incorporating a new Schedule H1 containing 46 drugs which include 24 third and fourth generation antibiotics, 11 Anti Tuberculosis drugs  and 11 habit forming drugs.

The  Department  of  Animal  Husbandry,  Dairying  and  Fisheries  had  issued  advisories  on 03.06.2014 and 02.12.2014 to all States  and  UTs  for  judicious  use  of  antibiotics  in  treatment  of food producing animals and also stopping the use of antibiotics in animal feed. Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has also requested all State/UTs Drugs Controllers on 06/06/2014 to take up the matter with the Animal Husbandry Departments in their States/UTs for compliance of the above  circular  issued  by  Ministry  of  Agriculture.  Further  DCGI  issued  an  advisory  to  all States/UT's  on  12/09/2014  that  use  of  antibiotics  and  hormones  in  animal  feed  should  also  be stopped.

Further,  the  Department  of  Animal  Husbandry,  Dairying  and  Fisheries  has  also  provided  an indicative list of antibiotics which should not be used in animal feed and feed pre-mixes to Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and to ban these antibiotics for non-therapeutic use so as to make their use in feed and feed premixes prohibitory.

The Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated action to fix Maximum Residue  Limits/Tolerance  Limits  of  various  Insecticides  and  veterinary  drugs  &  antibiotics including pharmacologically active substances.

******