The Institution of Veterinarians of Poultry Industry has released its statement on the news that AMR, the 10th biggest disease according to the World Health Organization, is at risk from excessive consumption of chicken. The news is misleading, the release said.
The poultry industry has responded to media reports that claimed that eating chicken can put an individual at risk of antimicrobial resistance disease or AMR. The Institution of Veterinarians of the Poultry Industry (IVPI) reached out to media outlets to clarify that the claim lacks scientific references and is a biased report aimed at promoting vegetarianism.
Mangoes to Lemons: 7 refreshing fruits for summers
The IVPI expressed its concern regarding the misinterpretation of the information provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), stating that the reference to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was misunderstood and inaccurately associated with the poultry industry. While the WHO has indeed issued warnings about AMR, which ranks as the 10th largest global disease, the IVPI emphasized that the organization's report does not mention the specific term 'chicken'.
The IVPI emphasized the shared responsibility of all stakeholders in the food chain to foster consumer confidence in the safety and quality of the food they purchase. It regretted the creation of doubts in consumers' minds regarding the safety of chicken products.
Various poultry stakeholders, including veterinary associations and organizations dedicated to ensuring scientifically safe and ethically responsible food production, pledged to provide transparent and accurate information to enhance understanding and build consumer confidence, according to the IVPI.
Furthermore, the IVPI highlighted that a significant portion of poultry meat and egg production in the country is under the regular supervision of qualified veterinarians. The country also boasts modern disease detection and surveillance facilities to enable early detection and minimize the spread of diseases. Commercial poultry farms adhere to flock health prevention strategies such as biosecurity measures, hygienic farming practices, vaccinations against major infectious diseases, and the use of nutritionally balanced diets.
The IVPI emphasized that commercial poultry farms follow scientific protocols, ensuring that birds are raised with adequate food, water, air, and space to fulfil their physiological and social needs. These parameters are continually studied, updated, and based on scientific research.
In commercial farms, antibiotics are strictly administered for a limited duration and only when birds exhibit clinical signs of fever or other diseases. It is a standard practice among commercial poultry producers to refrain from using antibiotics in the ten days leading up to bird processing.
Thanks to scientific management practices, technological advancements, and high productivity levels, eggs and poultry are available to Indian consumers at prices lower than those in neighbouring and Western countries.
Are there antibiotics in the chicken and eggs we eat?
According to the IVPI, the Poultry Industry is strongly supported and bound to follow the guidelines of the Government of India and the respective food authorities. A key step in this direction is stipulating Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs)/tolerance limits/safe limits of medicinal residues in the food produced by animals. This is a widely accepted global practice, and well adopted by the Government of India in recent days.
Consumers can be highly confident about the chicken meat and eggs treated with antibiotics as completely safe because the FSSAI has a rigorous approval process for poultry medicine and withdrawal periods. The FSSAI makes sure the foods produced from farm animals adhere to the Maximum Residue limits (MRLs)/safe limits of medicinal residues, it added.
The poultry products from India are regularly exported to highly quality consensus European Union, Japan and Middle East countries. Also, Quick Service Restaurants like McDonald, KFC, Dominos and others are buying from India for their outlets and are happy with the hygiene and quality standards maintained.
Milk to fish: 10 foods to eat if you have Vitamin B12 deficiency