KARACHI, Dec 16: As a result of the efforts made by the Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), the Customs authorities have seized 35 containers of imported poultry feed, made of hazardous meat, at two seaports of Karachi.

Ten containers were seized at the Karachi port and 25 at Port Qasim during a raid, a PFF statement said on Friday. The seized consignments belonged to seven companies dealing in poultry feed.

Due to the illegal import of banned poultry feed, the rates of local fish used for poultry feed had declined from Rs7 to Rs3.5 per kg affecting the fishing community.

When the companies objected to the seizure of its consignments, the Customs authorities told them that the feed, in fact meant for cattle, was even prohibited for animals. The samples of imported feed were sent to laboratories for examination, the release said.

The PFF, that had constituted a committee to probe into import of such feed, said in its report that the federal trade policy 2005 clearly stated that the import of meat from Ireland, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Holland and Spain should immediately be stopped.—PPI