Broiler chicken has long been an important part of the daily diet of the people of Bangladesh.
The contribution of the poultry industry to ensuring a supply of animal protein at a relatively affordable price is undeniable.
However, if food safety, animal health, and public health do not receive adequate attention alongside the rapid expansion of this industry, serious health risks may develop behind the facade of cheap protein.
The call recently made at a workshop of the Bangladesh Poultry Industries Central Council for increased government oversight at every stage of production is therefore timely.
A particular concern is the indiscriminate use of antibiotics on broiler farms. A report on the issue previously published in Ittefaq showed that many small-scale farmers routinely administer antibiotics to healthy chickens even before any disease appears.
Some even accept the advice of drug dealers as if it were medical advice. Yet antibiotics are not ordinary tonics for disease prevention. Unnecessary use gradually makes bacteria resistant to medicines.
According to data from the World Health Organization, approximately 4.7 million people died worldwide in 2021 as a result of drug-resistant infections. Therefore, the issue is not limited merely to whether antibiotic residues will remain in chicken meat.
It is also closely connected with the future capacity of the healthcare system to treat infections.
However, creating panic over the issue is not a solution either. The presence of antibiotics and the risk posed by antibiotic-resistant organisms are not the same thing.
Antibiotics will always have a legitimate role in the proper treatment of sick animals when medically necessary. What is important is that they be used on the advice of a veterinary professional, at the correct dosage, and for the prescribed duration.
In addition, a specified “withdrawal period” must be observed after treatment so that the risk of drug residues remaining in the meat is reduced.
The report found that responsible contract-based farms are comparatively more likely to follow these rules. This demonstrates that safe production is possible when proper training and supervision are in place.
Another dimension of the problem is economic. Many small-scale farmers depend on dealers for chicks, feed, and medicines and are often indebted to them. As a result, when the same person who sells the medicine also advises the farmer on its use, a conflict of interest naturally arises.
The unnecessary sale of medicines by exploiting farmers’ lack of knowledge must be stopped. Dealers, too, need systems of training, licensing, and accountability.
At the same time, accessible veterinary advice from government or authorized professionals must be ensured in remote areas.
In this regard, the importance of “biosecurity” deserves particular attention. Measures such as maintaining clean farms, controlling access, keeping hands and footwear clean, using disinfectants, and isolating sick chickens can reduce the risk of many diseases.
In other words, rather than rushing to antibiotics after a disease occurs, creating an environment that prevents disease in the first place is more effective and, in the long run, more economical.
For this reason, it is essential to establish an effective monitoring chain extending from farms to feed mills, processing centers, and retail markets.
Regular sample testing, documentation of antibiotic use, and effective penalties for violations are necessary. At the same time, the unhygienic system of selling live chickens should gradually be reduced and replaced with modern, clean, and regulated markets.
It must be remembered that safe food is not merely a consumer right; it is also the responsibility of the state.
Blaming farmers will not solve the problem. They must be provided with knowledge, training, veterinary advice, and a fair market system. Consumers, too, must look beyond the competition for the lowest price and consider the question of food safety.
The decision to give antibiotics unnecessarily to a single chicken may seem insignificant. But if the same decision is repeated across millions of farms, the consequences for the future could be devastating.
A safe poultry industry, therefore, is not merely a matter of protecting the interests of the industry; it is also an essential condition for safeguarding the health of future generations.
