With no testing capacities for certain tests in the country, the livestock department will send the Karma Feeds sample to a laboratory abroad. The department is currently in talks with Singapore and Thailand. As per the department’s circumstantial evidence, over 54,000 birds died due to contamination of Karma Feeds last month.
The department’s investigation showed that the birds died as a result of a particular batch of feeds. But the department was not able to determine what was exactly in the feeds.
Dr Sangay Rinchen the Head of Disease Prevention and Control Unit under the National Centre for Animal Health at Serbithang said, “So, we are planning to send out the feed to an accredited lab outside the country and for that matter, we are specifically targeting to screen for heavy metals toxicity.”
More than 364,000 birds were affected. But the livestock department confirmed that it was nothing to do with the common infectious poultry diseases in the country.
“From the samples we have collected and the test we did, the four common diseases that is reported in Bhutan have been ruled out,” said Dr Sangay Rinchen.
In a similar situation, the poultry farmers in Zhemgang lost 1,300 birds in the second week of November, prior to the deaths of more than 54,000 birds.
The department’s test found aflatoxin in the feeds given to the birds. Aflatoxins are a family of toxins produced by certain fungi that are found on agricultural crops such as maize, peanuts, cottonseed, and tree nuts.
However, the department clarified that the feeds were given from different batches. And this was evident in the rapid test results. The test result for the deaths of the 1,300 birds was aflatoxin positive whereas it was aflatoxin negative in the current case.
“We have also tested the feed for aflatoxin. For now with the rapid test that we did for aflatoxin, we have got the result as negative of aflatoxin of the feed. But we will be screening further on this,” said Dr Sangay.
Currently, the department is in discussion with Karma Feeds to compensate those affected. So far, poultry farmers in almost all the districts have been affected except for Gasa, Lhuentse, Trashigang and Trashi Yangtse.
Samten Dolkar
Edited by Sonam Pem
