Supreme Court Wake up Call to Dairy Sector

Dr. R S Khanna, International Dairy Consultant

Nobody can afford to ignore the anger and anguish of Supreme Court on the importance of dealing with adulteration of milk.Issue is not that the synthetic milk is being produced and sold. Issue is the importance of food safety and health of the consumer. Indian Dairy Association, New Delhi and National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal have been raising these issues at national level seminars.

Nobody can afford to ignore the anger and anguish of Supreme Court on the importance of dealing with adulteration of milk. There have been many instances where the former Department of Prevention of Food Adulteration, now Food Standards and Safety Authority of India, had swooped on the factory where synthetic milk was being manufactured in Kurukshetra and other locations. A TV Channel had carried a comprehensive video analysis of the process of manufacturing of synthetic milk and how it arrived at the processing units and to the consumers. Issue is not that the synthetic milk is being produced and sold. Issue is the importance of food safety and health of the consumer. Indian Dairy Association, New Delhi and National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal have been raising these issues at national level seminars. Apart from the food safety aspect it is important to understand the reasons for such adulteration. First, it is to be noted that cases of adulteration surface during summer when there is shortage in production and availability of milk and the consumption of milk and milk products is comparatively high. Second, the scourge of synthetic milk production is highest in the areas that have the milk processing capacity higher than the marketable surplus of milk. The number of factories for processing milk and their total processing capacities is very high in Haryana, Eastern Rajasthan and Western Uttar Pradesh. Therefore, maximum problem of adulteration is faced in these areas. Most notorious areas known for synthetic milk production are Bulandshaher and Mewat zone of Rajasthan and Haryana. Kurukshetra has been repeatedly been known for this scourge in the past also. Most of the milk processors have been reacting that the television channels were regularly making loud noise about the manner in which milk was being adulterated and accepted by the milk plants. They felt that the media cry was uncalled for and there is need to counter it. It was alleged that the media is blowing the incidents of adulteration beyond the actual facts. With festive season having started the news channels have opened their archives of stockshots again. The allegation is true to the extent that the message being communicated is that all milk and milk products are adulterated. This may not be true. But then how can the news channel identify which milk is pure and which is adulterated. There have also been many news about the government regulators discovering factories of adulterated milk and ghee. And these have come in quick succession. The fact that the milk and milk products are pure and unadulterated has to be highlighted and certified by the processors themselves. Unfortunately none of the milk processing dairies has come out with any statement or advertisement pledging that its milk or milk products are truly pure and unadulterated.

On the other hand AMUL has come out with a full page advertisement in Delhi newspapers seeking the consumers to say “NO” to liquid milk containing powder and butter oil. In fact this advertisement seems to lead the consumer to believe that liquid milk when reconstituted is also adulterated or at least there is need that the consumer must be informed of the fact that milk is a mixture of fresh and reconstituted milk. Milk being complete food has been given the status of “nectar” in India. For such a product to be adulterated for petty gains is really painful. This paper had reported last year the scandal of baby milk foods being adulterated with melamine, a protein-like contaminant, in China. Consumption of the adulterated baby food not only resulted in the death of many infants but had also caused severe sickness amongst thousands of them. It all happened when baby food manufactured by

Sanlu Group Company was given to infants and they developed kidney stones. The Chinese government handled the matter with required severity. At least three persons were hanged to death within one year of the scandal coming to light. The famous Fonterra Cooperative of New Zealand who was a partner in this company decided to sever the joint venture and decided to leave China. In India the government departments are quick in conducting raids and that is the end of it. Hardly any cases have been reported where any person involved with food adulteration has been punished, forget capital punishment. The need is to bring the culprits to justice so that nobody dares to adulterate items of food consumption. This incident is being narrated with the intent that the same speed should be shown in India also. But will it ever happen? We still have not seen any hangings or serious punishment to the cases of adulteration of mustard oil with argemone that happened in 1998. Unless there is exemplary speed in handling cases of food adulteration and deterrent punishment to the guilty, the cases that are happening would continue with same alacrity to the chagrin of the nation. We must learn from China!  Supreme Court showing concern is a warning for the Indian milk processing industry. Formula to cope with this problem is simple. Milk processors need to have the “will to fight adulteration”. If a dairy plant stops accepting adulterated milk the scourge would wane. Most private sector dairy plants in India do not have their own network of milk collection. They heavily depend upon middle men for supply of milk in road tankers. It is these middlemen who indulge in adulteration. It is commonly known that milk like substance is produced by a mixture of urea, vegetable oil and sugar. The mixture is so churned and adjusted that it becomes difficult to check it by tasting or smelling. It is only through complicated laboratory tests that it possible to detect adulteration. A milk producer who produces 5- 10 litres of milk daily and sells it to make his both ends meet, does not have the wherewithal to prepare such milk-like substance and add to milk. In fact the farmers do not adulterate milk with anything other than water. It is the middlemen-suppliers

who sell milk in large volumes of 10,000 litres and more that indulge in adulteration. It is therefore very important that the dairy manufacturing industry sets up its own network of collecting milk directly from the farmers. They should learn the process of organising milk producers into self help groups from the dairy co-operatives. In my experience this system is beneficial to both the milk producer as well as the manufacturer. In the long run milk  collected directly from the farmer is cheaper and the farmer gets higher price that he gets from the middleman.

Positive Growth for Dairy in for the Year 2015

According to India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra), the dairy sector is likely to witness positive growth, increase in market size and milk production and strong rise in exports in the next fiscal. India's milk sector is regarded as one of the world's fastest growing market and the agency expects it to expand by 16.3 percent in FY'15 The positive outlook also stems from increasing the government's initiatives on improving rural income.The agency also assigned a stable outlook to the dairy cooperatives (DCs) for FY'15. On the back of likely favourable monsoons and strengthening farmer base of the cooperative model, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) expects 5.47 percent year-on-year growth in milk production in FY'15. It said export opportunities have opened up as milk production is higher than domestic demand.

Tips for Managing Dairy Animals in Summer Season

In summer the temperature rises up to 50 degree centigrade and it badly affects the dairy animals. Consequently the animals often go off feed, feverish and stressed. This affects the milk production, health and reproduction of the animal. During this season unfavorable temperature (very hot), low availability of quality greens and digestible feed are the reasons for it.

In summer the temperature rises up to 50 degree centigrade and it badly affects the dairy animals. Consequently the animals often go off feed, feverish and stressed. This affects the milk production, health and reproduction of the animal. Normal cow and buffalo body temperature ranges between 101-102 degree Fahrenheit and suitable ambient temperature favorable is 65-75 degree Fahrenheit. Severe hot surroundings mean more energy and protein loss which has to be compensated by giving extra calorie protein rich feed and special care. However cows and buffaloes freshening shortly before summer months produce less total milk than other seasons. During this season unfavorable temperature (very hot), low availability of quality greens and digestible feed are the reasons for it. Following is a list of do's and don'ts for their special care in this season:

Feeding and watering:

Generally the dairy animal should be fed balanced ration comprising of dry matter at the rate of 2.5 kg per 100 kg body weight out of which one third should be from concentrate mixture, one half from dry roughages and one sixth from green roughages. Concentrate mixture should comprise of grains (40%), oil cakes (32%), brans (25%), mineral mixture (2%) and common salt (1%). Apart from this the extra protein and energy rich cakes and oils approximately 0.8% of body weight should be fed to counter the stress of high temperature for maintaining normal milk production and other activities. Water should be clean and available five to six times a day possibly cold water at their drinking time

Shelter management:

Shelter plays a key role in production efficiency of high producing dairy animals because it protects them from extreme weather conditions and provides comfort. If the animals are in discomfort due to summer ; alterations in house should be made by covering the windows at day time by jute bags, etc. and should be kept wet so cold air may enter in. This will certainly protect the animals against hot winds (loo). Spacing should be appropriate (3.5 sq. m. for cows and 4 sq. m. for buffaloes). Bedding should be 1- 2 inches thick and cold. Windows should be opened at night for air and disinfection. Proper ventilation in animal housing is undisputedly important.

General management:

During a warm day the dairy animal should be kept indoors and in the loafing area at night. The bathing, washing and grooming should be carried out in open area in early morning or evenings and it should be followed by water splashing to prevent itching, skin diseases and ectoparasites. Sunlight exposure in early morning is good for dairy animal's especially young dairy calves. More quantity of green fodder feeding is advised. It will provide coolness, protein and Green fodder contains carotene which converts into vitamin A. It should be mixed with dry fodder in appropriate proportion. Feed dry fodder at night when temperature is low. Wallowing is recommended for buffaloes.

Sanitation:

Animals should be fed clean and dust free feed and water. Thorough cleaning of animals sheds, dung, urine, milking parlour, teats of milch animals is also very important

Vaccination:

Many diseases flare in summer stress. Vaccination against various contagious diseases such as FMD, H.S., T.B., J.D., B.Q. etc. should be carried out about once or twice a year

according to the schedule. This would certainly avoid the expenses incurred on routine treatment and production losses due to illness and would also improve quality of milk.

Effects of Heat Stress on Feed Intake and Digestibility in Ruminants: Recommended Feeding Strategies

Introduction

India possesses the largest ruminant population in the world (520.6 millions), and accounts for the largest number of cattle (16.1%), buffalo (57.9%), second largest number of goat (16.7%) and third highest number of sheep (5.7%) in the world. India ranks first in milk production (121.8 million tonnes) in world but per capita availability (281 gm/day) is far lesser than many developed countries which may be due to several factors out of which heat stress is one of the important cause. High temperature of tropics along with high humidity, in particular global warming to a great extent impairs the production (growth, milk quantity and quality), reproductive performance, metabolism, health status and immune response of farm animals. The surface air warming in the 21st century by best estimate will range from 1.1 to 2.9°C for a “low scenario” and of 2.4 to 6.4°C for a “high scenario” which will vary depending on the geographic zones of the World. Climate change projections for India suggest that temperature is expected to increase between 2.3 and 4.8°C because of doubling of carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere which would directly or indirectly affect the performance of animals. There are many directly deteriorating effects of heat stress on animals which involves reduction of feed intake, increase in respiration rate and water intake and changes in hormonal signals that affect target tissue responsiveness to environmental stimuli and would lead to illness, morbidity and mortality of animals. Indirect impacts follow more intricate pathways and include those deriving from the attempt of animals to adapt to thermal environment or from the influence of climate on microbial populations, distribution of vector-borne diseases, host resistance to infectious agents, feed and water shortages, or food-borne diseases. If exposure to high air temperature is prolonged, lower feed intake is followed by a decline in the secretion of calorigenic hormones (growth hormone, catecholamines and glucocorticoids in particular) involved in thermogenic processes of digestion and metabolism. All these events together would tend to reduce metabolic heat production and might be responsible for modifications of energy, lipid, protein and mineral metabolism, and liver function in the body.

Effects of Heat Stress: 

Effect on nutrient uptake and digestibility 

Increase in environmental temperature causes severe damage to the physiology, metabolism and health of animals. Increased heat load decreases nutrient uptake in almost all species and in case of cattle, the nutrient uptake decreases up to 30% of dry matter intake. Digestibility at 25°C to 30°C did not change whereas digestibility increased at 35°C and then decreased at 40°C could be attributed to change in rumen environment (pH, rumen temperature, rumen motility, rumen flora and fauna) due to higher intensity of thermal stress. Feed intake in lactating cows begins to decline at ambient temperatures of 2526°C and reduces more rapidly above 30°C and at 40°C; the dietary intake may decline by as much as 40% resulting in a negative energy balance (NEB) and loses significant amount of body weight and body score. During heat stress, DMI was reduced in the lactating goats because of decreased metabolic rate and more heat production. The concentrate intake during cool, comfort, hot-dry and hot-humid exposures did not change in buffalo calves whereas, wheat straw intake decreased significantly by 29.65% and 30.09% during hot-dry and hot-humid exposures respectively. 

Effect on rumination and rumen motility

The rise in environment temperature alters the basic physiological mechanism of rumen which negatively affects the nutrient energy balance of ruminants. Heat stress reduces the dry matter intake, decreases ruminal motility and contraction, changes the fermentation pattern and volatile fatty acid production, affects the digestibility and nutrient utilization, and thus impairs the productive and reproductive efficiency of animals. Increase in environmental temperature reduces the rumination time and also depresses the appetite by having a direct negative effect on appetite centre of the hypothalamus. It was also reported that rumination decreases during dehydration of animals resulting from heat stress. Moreover, blood flow to rumen epithelium is depressed.during heat stress and reticular motility and rumination is decreased whereas, the volume of digesta in the rumen of beef cows, goats and revierine buffalo increased. A very high concentration of lactic acid was observed in heat stressed cattle, which lowers the ruminal pH and in turn inhibiting rumen motility. Heat stress reduces the acetate whereas increases the propionate and buyate production. Therefore the animal responds by consuming less roughage which leads to variation in digestion patterns due to changes in microbial population in the rumen and increased in rumen pH from 5.82 to 6.03 in lactating cows. Ruminal and intestinal absorption of nutrients in ewes were found to be changed when exposed to thermal exposure for different durations. Later on when the ewes were chronically exposed to heat, there was lower diet digestibility and lower pH and cellulolytic and amylolytic bacteria concentrations, slower digesta passage rate and lower osmolarity of rumen content, indicating a possible impairment of bacterial activity and high dilution of rumen fluid. There are some of the gastrointestinal hormones that influence motility and also affect feed intake in ruminants but

there is not clear evidence of involvement of gastrointestinal hormones and peptidergic neurons in mediating the effect of temperature on gastrointestinal motility. Heat stress tends to decrease the ruminal fermentation and therefore reduction in methane production, leading to lower ruminal activity. 

Feeding approach to overcome heat stress 

Maintaining optimum nutrient balance and providing highly palatable and digestible feeds and ample supplies of fresh and clean water, along with shade and ventilation, will go far toward keeping your animals comfortable and healthy. Low quality, stemmy forages generate more heat of fermentation inside the rumen and contributing to the animal's total heat load. So animals should be provided with high quality forages but don't go below 18-19% ADF (acid detergent fiber) which would digest faster and result in lesser heat production. Decreasing the forage to concentrate ration (feeding more concentrate) could be practised whereas, excess concentrate may cause problems like rumen acidosis and animal can go off feed. Sodium

bicarbonate or sesqui-carbonate at the rate of 0.25 to 0.5 lbs./cow/day can help buffers the rumen to accommodate higher levels of concentrate. Increase buffer to 0.75% of DMI (dry matter intake) in Total Mixed Rations or complete feeds and offer free choice. Other feed additives like yeast (improved fiber digestion), fungal cultures for example Aspergillus oryzae and niacin (improved energy utilization) can be incorporated into the ration for better comfort to the animals. however, all of these additives should not be used together. Ration of ruminants should usually contain 18% protein or less on a dry basis but that containing greater than 65% of the total protein as rumen degradable protein should be avoided. Supplemental fat, such as cotton seeds, soybean, tallow, rumen inert sources, or combinations can be added to rations to increase energy intake. There is increased sweating and urination during hot weather conditions resulting in more minerals being excreted. Therefore, additional mineral supplementation should be incorporated in the ration containing potassium to the level of at least 1.5%, sodium to 0.45%, and magnesium to 0.35% of dry matter. Increasing the levels of vitamins such that supplementing 100,000 international units (IU) of vitamin A/day, 50,000 IU of vitamin D/day and 500 IU of vitamin E/day could help the animal to sustain its health and production during heat stress.

Conclusion

Heat stress is a cause of great concern that evokes a series of drastic changes in the animal's biological functions that include depression in feed efficiency and utilization, disturbances in metabolism of water, protein, energy, and mineral balances, enzymatic reactions, hormonal secretions and blood metabolites. Such changes lead to reduction in production and reproduction performance of animal resulting in huge economical loss to global livestock husbandry. Therefore, scientific feeding methods should be practised to overcome deteriorate affects of heat stress in livestock.