Experts raise concern over rising livestock diseases

NAKURU, KENYA: The Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA) has identified aflotoxins in animal feeds as one of the factor to rising livestock diseases and low productivity in the continent.

According to the association chairman Dr Samuel Kahariri, aflatoxins has negative impacts on animals including death.

"Other economic impacts of aflatoxins occur when feed or animal products fail to meet standards and cannot be exported or marketed," he said.

He challenged the government to invest heavily on the origin of animal feed and minimize overreliance on the grains as food.

According to Kahariri, maize contaminated by aflotoxins is reportedly fed to livestock on daily basis leading to a health crisis.

"Maize plays a big role in animal feed formulations and therefore contamination at the feed level poses a greater danger to the consumer of livestock products," he said.

He said that National Cereals and Produce Board (NCPB) had an obligation to see to it that no grains were used by human or animal consumption before subjecting them to all the tests for quality assurance.

The doctor said that any grain under NCPB that was found to be unfit for human consumption should be subjected to quality assurance tests before recommending for use in any animal.