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Contaminants in animal feed: Global and Indian challenges
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Thursday, 10 July, 2025, 15 : 00 PM [IST]
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Divya Kumar Gulati
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As the global demand for animal-derived foods surges, the livestock sector finds itself at a pivotal crossroads, expected to deliver more, faster, and safer. While productivity gains often take centre stage in conversations around livestock development, an equally critical and under-addressed issue lurks in the background: the quality and safety of animal feed.
Feed is not merely an input in animal agriculture. It is the first link in a long chain that ends at the human dinner table. And, when this chain is compromised by chemical, biological, or physical factors, the consequences ripple across public health, trade, and the environment. The question is no longer whether feed safety matters. The question is how fast we can act before the consequences compound.
A Global Problem with Local Realities
Globally, the feed industry is grappling with contaminants that originate from diverse sources, including industrial pollutants, pesticide overuse, poor storage, and the increasing unpredictability of the climate. Contaminants such as mycotoxins, heavy metals, dioxins, pathogens, and residues of antibiotics are not only hard to detect without advanced infrastructure, but many of them also persist in the food chain long after initial exposure.
The FAO estimates that around 25% of the world’s food crops are contaminated with mycotoxins, harmful toxins that often slip into animal feed undetected. This isn’t just a theoretical concern. A global meta-analysis of over 500,000 samples, published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, confirmed that nearly a quarter of food crops exceed regulatory mycotoxin limits, while many more show detectable contamination. The Horizon 2020 HBM4EU initiative in Europe highlighted a human health aspect to this risk, finding that about 14% of adults have exposure to the mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) at levels that could be harmful.
In India, the problem is compounded by structural vulnerabilities. A humid climate, fragmented farming systems, and informal feed supply chains create ideal conditions for contamination. With limited surveillance and infrastructure, feed often moves from the field to the animal without any quality checks. A 2022 study by Trouw Nutrition India underscored the scale of the issue—of 2,184 samples analysed, 91% were contaminated with aflatoxins and 87% with ochratoxins, with concentrations reaching as high as 150 ppb.
When Contamination Becomes a Systemic Risk
Contaminated feed is not a localised inconvenience; it’s a systems-level risk. In livestock, chronic ingestion of low-grade toxins can lead to reproductive disorders, suppressed immunity, organ failure, and ultimately, a fall in productivity. The effects extend far beyond livestock and into the broader food chain.
Through biological transfer, feed contaminants often make their way into milk, meat, and eggs. The presence of aflatoxin M1 in milk is linked to the ingestion of aflatoxin B1-contaminated feed by dairy animals, posing known health risks due to its carcinogenic nature. A research study has detected this compound in milk samples from various urban centres, directly impacting consumers.
At the same time, contaminated feed undercuts export potential. Countries with strict residue limits regularly reject animal product consignments, citing unacceptable levels of pesticides or antibiotic residues. India, despite its growing footprint in global agri-trade, has seen its shipments of poultry and dairy products turned away due to quality concerns. Add to this the environmental cost of leaching residues into soil and water, and the true scale of the problem begins to emerge.
India’s Feed Safety Challenge
India’s vulnerability to feed contamination stems not from a lack of awareness, but from a set of structural challenges. High humidity and poor post-harvest drying contribute to fungal growth, especially in feed ingredients like maize and oilseeds. For example, a comprehensive review of mycotoxin monitoring in India notes that storage fungi (e.g., Aspergillus, Penicillium, Fusarium), responsible for 25–40?% of cereal grain losses, thrive when grains are stored in jute bags or earthen bins without proper drying or aeration.
Despite growing awareness around feed safety, implementation on the ground remains fragmented. Much of India’s livestock feed, particularly, for smallholders, comes from home-mixed or informal sources. These products rarely, if ever, undergo quality checks. Surveillance systems, especially in rural areas, are thin on the ground. And with fewer accredited feed-testing labs than necessary, even well-meaning producers often operate in the dark.
Indian Solutions and Strategic Interventions
Addressing this challenge requires more than technical fixes. It calls for an integrated approach that spans policy, innovation, infrastructure, and capacity-building.
Regulatory progress is underway. The FSSAI's initiative to incorporate feed safety into the broader framework of food safety shows an increasing awareness of their interconnected nature. Meanwhile, the BIS is continually improving feed standards for various species. However, having standards alone is insufficient.
Research institutions like ICAR and state agricultural universities are creating early warning systems for mycotoxins using climate data and predictive analytics. These tools, once scaled, could give farmers advance notice of contamination risks, allowing preemptive action.
At the production end, detoxification technologies such as binders, enzymes, and heat treatments are becoming more accessible. Studies show that clay-based binders significantly reduce toxin bioavailability in dairy cattle, improving animal health and milk safety.
But perhaps the most transformative efforts are those happening at the grassroots. Farmer training programmes led by Krishi Vigyan Kendras are teaching better harvesting and storage techniques. The NDDB’s initiatives to set up regional testing labs and mobile units are slowly bringing science closer to the field. And start-ups, supported by government platforms like Agrinnovate India, are working on affordable mycotoxin detection kits that could democratise feed quality monitoring.
The Leadership India Needs
If India is to secure its livestock economy, it must go beyond firefighting contamination episodes to preventing them altogether. That means reimagining feed safety as a foundational element of national food security.
There’s a need for a unified approach that aligns feed regulations with broader food safety policies. Private-sector companies, particularly, commercial feed manufacturers, need to adopt models of voluntary compliance and transparency. Additionally, public-private partnerships should be encouraged to jointly invest in infrastructure, training, and innovative testing methods.
India should also look outward, learning from global best practices, while building local solutions. Partnerships with FAO, WHO, and OIE can help fast-track regulatory harmonisation, risk assessment tools, and traceability mechanisms.
Contamination in animal feed is one of those silent risks that doesn’t grab headlines until it’s too late. But by taking a forward-looking approach rooted in science, systems thinking, and stakeholder inclusion, India has a rare opportunity to lead, not just react. Feed safety is no longer a backend issue. It is a front-line defence for public health, economic credibility, and sustainable livestock development. The time to act decisively is now, not when the next contamination scandal breaks, but before it does.
(The author is chairman, CLFMA of India)
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