It is very common in our country that a month or so before the cattle markets of Eid-ul Azha, some unscrupulous cattle traders inject banned steroid hormones and other harmful chemicals into the cows to fatten them.
Various antibiotics, growth hormones, steroids and other harmful chemicals are being widely used for fattening sacrificial animals. These drugs, mostly smuggled from other South Asian countries, are sold openly in the local shops in the absence of monitoring by government agencies.
Experts say steroid variants like Decason, Oradexon, Prednisolon, Betnenal, Cortan, Steron and Adam-33, used as life-saving drugs for critical patients, are being used on cows. These items, which are generally used for saving the lives of critical patients, are now being injected into cows, goats and other sacrificial animals to fatten them.
Under this unscientific fattening method, an animal is fed 20 to 25 tablets. These exert abnormal pressure on kidney and other organs as the drugs slowly affect the normal circulation of urine. As the fluid in the animal's body cannot pass, its cells accumulate water giving it a misleading sturdy appearance.
This causes diabetes and a lot of other diseases in the cow. If one considers the consequences of fattening, it will be understood that this is very bad for the sacrificial animal. This rapid and unscientific method of cattle fattening may even cause death of the animal within 20-25 days after passing the drug into its system.
Under the natural fattening system, the cattle are fed a right proportion of urea, molasses and straw daily for about six months.
Food and drug administration authorities of various developed countries have already banned these harmful drugs for cattle fattening due to the adverse side-effects they can cause on human health.
When fattened cows are slaughtered and the beef are consumed by humans, the diseases and germs are naturally transmitted to them. Sensitive human organs like kidney and liver are quickly infected with different kinds of diseases upon consumption of such beef. These can lead to liver enlargement in adults over time.
The most awful changes will take place among children and women. Children will become obese and may develop many diseases related to high blood cholesterol.
How can one distinguish a cow fattened in such ways? Such a cow will look extremely fat and tend to stand in one position. It will not move so much. It will also be less responsive to touch.
Use of these steroids and hormones in animals are prohibited in the country under the Animal Feed Act 2010. For violating this law, a person can face up to one year's imprisonment or have to pay Tk 50,000 in fine or both. But some dishonest cattle farmers are not even bothered by this law as they want to make quick profits.
The authorities should plan ahead to tackle these issues.
Wishing all of FE's readers a blessed Eid!
Md. Zillur Rahaman
Satish Sarker Road,
Gandaria, Dhaka.
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