Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala has become the first state in India to enact legislation to ensure the quality of cattle-poultry feed. Henceforth, any person found adulterating these items could be slapped with a jail sentence of six months to one year and a fine of Rs 5 lakh.
During the first offence, the punishment is suspension of licence for up to six months and a penalty of Rs 25,000 – Rs 50,000. A repeat offence would lead to the cancellation of the licence and a fine of Rs 2 lakh. Yet another violation of the law would lead to the six months to one-year sentence and Rs 5-lakh fine.
Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammad Khan has signed the ordinance including these rules prepared jointly by the Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Departments, following which the government issued a notification.
As a consequence, a licence is mandatory in the state for the manufacture, storage and sales of cattle and poultry feed. The licence would have a validity of three years and a licencing authority is to be set up for issuing the certificate. The authority will also have a Feed Safety Enforcement Officer and Feed Safety Assurance Officer.
