Contract farming reduces use of antibiotics

Observation of farming practices at ground level has revealed that most broiler chicken farmers are using antibiotics unnecessarily. This increases production cost and puts the health of the public at risk.
On the other hand, poultry companies are providing their contract broiler growers with training, and are regularly monitoring them to ensure that antibiotics are not used, except to treat disease. If antibiotics are used to treat disease, the contract farmers must maintain a 'withdrawal period' so that there is no residue of antibiotics in broiler chicken meat.
Experts say that when livestock farmers use antibiotics to prevent disease in healthy animals, bacteria on farms gradually become resistant to antibiotics. Many bacterial infections then become untreatable in humans, and become more deadly. This is a major threat to public health. According to the World Health Organisation, antimicrobial resistant infections claimed 1.27 million lives in 2019.
A contract broiler farmer uses medicines, vaccines and vitamins worth approximately Tk 1,000 to grow 1,000 broiler chicks during the 35-day broiler production cycle. Contract farmers shared this information with the author during a field visit to Tangail recently. On the other hand, independent farmers use whatever medicines are recommended by the dealers who sell feed and medicines. Independent farmers spend up to Tk 9,000 on antibiotics when growing 1,000 broiler chicks.
Radha Rani Biswas (48), a contract farmer at Chanu Market, Banshtoil, in Mirzapur, said on May 10 that she doesn't use any antibiotics unless they are prescribed by a veterinary doctor. "I receive medicines worth about Tk 2,000 including antibiotics of Tk 600 for 600-700 birds of my farm from the company that supports me," Maintaining biosecurity measures, as practiced in contract farming, helps protect chickens from disease. She mentioned that only two of the chicks aged 12 days had died.
Shaheb Ali (41) of Goargobindapur, Shokhipur, recalled that he spent Tk 70,000 for purchasing medicine including antibiotics worth Tk 40,000 when rearing 4,000 broiler chicks in one particular batch when he was taking advice from a dealer a few years ago. Now a contract grower, he spends a Tk 3,000-4,000 for medicine, including of Tk 1,000 or so on antibiotics, for every 1,000 birds. "We strictly follow the rule of not using antibiotics after 20 days of age of birds," he pointed out.
Noor Jahan (50), runs a farm with capacity of 1,000 chickens, with her husband Dabir Uddin (60) in Pekua, Mirzapur. They use 'Cipro', an antibiotic, whenever birds face diseases including cold. Ciprofloxacin is one of the antibiotics which is considered critially important by WHO. According to WHO recommendations, antibiotics like ciprofloxacin should not be used at all on livestock farms, otherwise the drug will soon become useless for treating infections in humans.
Withdrawal period of antibiotics is 21 days, said Dr Mohammad Ariful Islam, a veterinary medical consultant working in the poultry-growing area. "Some farmers use antibiotics indiscriminately and they also sell chickens when residual effects are present. This is dangerous for public health," he argued.
Shukur Mamud (36), an independent farmer of Zaida Market, Shokhipur, expressed his view that it is not possible to stop using antibiotics at any point of the production cycle, because of the risk of disease. He calculated that he spends around Tk 12,000 for 1,200 birds for buying medicine, half of which is for antibiotics. He also admitted that he could not ensure bio-security around his farm.
Professor Elias Hossain of Bangladesh Agriculture University explained that unethical dealers motivate many poultry farmers to use antibiotics excessively to prevent disease, and to increase the weight of the broilers. They use around 20 varieties of antibiotics available in the market, he said referring to a study in this regard. "They use medicines including antibiotics before the outbreak of disease," he noted.
He said that the poultry companies which do business directly with contract farmers emphasise bio-security, which reduces the need for using medicines to protect the chickens on contract farms.
Dr Zakir Hossain Habib, a researcher at Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research, observed that the use of important antibiotics in the poultry farms exposes the public to risks. "Some medicines are not effective for treatment of disease in humans because of the excessive use of antibiotics. In such circumstances, it is essential to ensure proper monitoring and training of small farmers about judicious use of medicine," he said.