LAHORE, June 30: A researcher from the Lacombe Research Centre, Canada, Dr Mueen Aslam, has called for prudent use of anti-microbial drugs in animals’ food for their use as growth promoter has become a public health issue and causing widespread emergence of multi-drug resistant pathogenic bacteria. Dr Aslam was speaking at a seminar on “Anti-microbial resistance in micro-organisms of animal food origin at the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences here on Thursday.

He said the anti-microbial use in animals’ food caused increase in prevalence of resistant bacteria in animals and transfer of resistant microbes to humans through a direct contact with animals or through consumption of contaminated meat, milk or water.

The anti-microbials were used as feed additives to growing animals for their improved physiological performance and also used as a preventive measure to healthy animals exposed to risk. UVAS vice-chancellor Prof Dr Manzoor Ahmad also spoke on the occasion.

LIVESTOCK: The government will spend a sum of Rs500 million on the development of livestock sector in the province under the Annual Development Programme during the 2005-06 fiscal year.

Punjab Agriculture Marketing Minister Rana Qasim Noon told a students delegation of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences here on Thursday that Rs263 million would be spent on the ongoing while Rs237 million on new development schemes.

He said that Rs282.84 million would be incurred on livestock production, Rs122.45 million on science and research projects and Rs74.69 million on education and training. While a sum of Rs20 million would be spent on the poultry production sector.

The purpose of these schemes was to bring about improvement in the livestock sector and to maximize milk and meat production, the minister said and asked veterinary sciences students to explore new ways and means of rapid development in the livestock sector through research.