Dairy News

Dairy owners in Jalandhar using banned drug oxytocin rampantly

Friday, 19/06/2015

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Samples taken by drug department from two stores test positive of drug

WE HAVE ASKED THE TWO DRUG STORE OWNERS TO REVEAL FROM WHERE THEY BOUGHT OXYTOCIN AND TO WHOM THEY WERE SELLING IT. GURBINDER SINGH, zonal licensing authority THE TEAM HAD SEIZED AROUND 90 PLASTIC VIALS FROM TWO DRUG STORES AND TOOK TWO SAMPLES FROM EACH FOR TESTING

JALANDHAR: Dairy owners in the district are rampantly administering banned drug oxytocin on milch cattle, results of samples taken by joint teams of central and state drug departments have revealed.

A dairy farm at Jamsher village on the outskirts of Jalandhar.

A joint team of drug inspectors of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), state drug controlling authority and district drug inspectors had seized unlabeled plastic vials from Guru Nanak Medical Store and Pal Medical Store, situated in the Jamsher Diary complex on May 19.

The team had seized around 90 plastic vials from both shops and took two samples from each and sent to the state food and drug laboratory. The samples have been tested positive of oxytocin after which the drug department has issued notices to these drug stores.

Dairy farmers are openly flouting the norms and the drug is being used indiscriminately and recklessly on cattle to increase milk production, it has been learnt.

Experts say due to a regular use of oxytocin, cows go dry within three years which is less than even half of the normal milking span of 10 years. When cattle become no longer economically productive, the dairy farmers abandon them, thus adding to the problem of stray animals.

Oxytocin also has also adverse effects on humans since drinking oxytocin-laced milk causes hormonal imbalances in them.

Zonal licensing authority Gurbinder Singh said, “We have asked the two drug store owners about the details from where they bought oxytocin and to whom they were selling this.”

Singh said the department has given them seven days for filling reply and action will be taken accordingly.

Retailers and wholesalers cannot stock oxytocin for veterinary purpose and its packing in vials (100ml to 200ml) is totally banned, he added.

Jatinder Kumar Chopra, deputy director, animal husbandry department, said indiscriminate use of oxytocin in milch animals needs to be controlled through a regulatory mechanism and educational measures.