LAHORE: Participants of the International Conference on Poultry Processing (ICPP) said that there is no regulatory authority to check and limit the use of diseased or dead bird in vet market. There is also lack of regulations related to withdrawal of antibiotics from meat, which directly impacts on human health. There is currently no mechanism exist to control diseases in open market. Disease stress produces darker meat which is not a consumer preference. They expressed these views while addressing the concluding ceremony of 1st International Conference on “Poultry Processing: Farm to Fork Management”.
The conference was organized by the Department of Poultry Production of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences Lahore in collaboration with Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) in collaboration with K&N’s.
They also said that due to the long distance from farm to market, birds were in stress and as a result they lose weight and subsequently meat quality was reduced. The oral and poster presentations of ICPP revealed that there is lack of awareness in the consumers regarding poultry meat safety and quality. The speakers also called for creating awareness among the ordinary buyer that they should purchase processed meat for healthy intake. Moreover price fluctuations can be controlled with the development of processing industry. Meat processing can be helpful in balancing the demand of supply chain, mass gathering and creating awareness home to home about the nutrient values of processed meat can be better solution.
Former President Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Abdul Basit said that poultry processing is the only way to solve all the issues faced by the poultry industry in the country.
