Antibiotic use in animals must be regulated for food safety: Advisory
Fish and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhtar said the use of antibiotics in animals should be controlled to ensure safe food for humans.
She opined so, while speaking as the chief guest at a seminar titled 'What to do to increase livestock vaccine production' at the Livestock Research Institute (LRI) conference hall on Monday (September 23).
Fisheries and Livestock Advisor said, human food is closely related to animals. Therefore, the use of antibiotics in animals should be controlled to ensure safe food for humans.
Farida Akhtar also said that the contribution of livestock to GDP is immense in Bangladesh's food security, balanced nutrition, solving unemployment problems and creating self-employment, empowering women, increasing the fertility of agricultural land, building a talented nation and reducing foreign import dependence. Animal feed production, processing and distribution processes are different and complex than other sectors. If this process is not developed in a coordinated way, the risk to public health will increase a lot. New diseases will emerge. As a result, the industry will be threatened.
If integrated management is not done, there is a risk of spread of deadly diseases and viruses. Therefore, for the development of livestock, all the parties involved in this sector must work together.
Calling on talented scientists of the country to come forward to develop vaccines, the advisor said vaccines are directly related to the livelihood of marginal farmers. She emphasized on taking vaccine or vaccination measures so that the diseases cannot attack the livestock.
The fisheries and livestock adviser also said that if our local scientists are self-sufficient in vaccine production, on the one hand, foreign dependence will be reduced, and on the other hand, valuable foreign currency will be saved. Livestock sector will be further developed and prosperous with the knowledge gained by scientists.
Emphasizing the formation of resource pool to make LRI an efficient institution, the advisor said, there is a need to give incentives to the officers and employees who work day and night. We want to at least triple LRI's vaccine production.
Emphasizing the importance of setting up regional labs to control the quality of animal food in the country, she said, we want to create a public safe chain system to reach the marginalized people.
Syed Mahmud Belal Haider, Secretary of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock was present as a special guest in the event chaired by the Director General of Animal Resources Department Dr. Mohammad Rayazul Haque. Director of Livestock Research Institute Dr. Md. Mustafa Kamal delivered his welcome speech.
Additional Secretary of the Ministry ATM Mustafa Kamal along with senior officials of Livestock Research Institute, researchers and scientists were present in the event.
