Antibiotics in eggs chicken we eat, law panel flags risk

Beware, chicken lovers. The chicken and eggs you eat could be contaminated with antibiotics, leading to drug resistance in your body, the law commission has warned.

Citing various studies, it has now recommended that antibiotics, including coccidiostats, “shall not be administered” to broiler chickens and egglaying hens except under the supervision of a veterinarian.

In its recent report on poultry birds, the law panel has pointed out that it is important that the feed used must be nutrient-rich and “devoid of antibiotics” as it affects the consumer food quality standard.

However, the catch is, “there are no statutory regulations, at present to prescribe the standard, quality and quantity of food for poultry in India which leads to rampant use of antibiotics in the poultry feed,” the report “Transportation and house-keeping of egg-laying hens and broiler chickens” observed.

It further explained that climatic conditions such as temperature and humidity play an important role in attaining maximum production. “Therefore, the birds are usually kept at constant temperatures in poultry farms in India. The downside to this is that the birds would be more susceptible to diseases even with small changes in climatic conditions, affecting the chances of their survival.