Pakistan’s Poultry Industry Faces Growing Health Concerns

KARACHI: The rapidly growing poultry farming industry in Pakistan has raised concerns about human health.

Pakistan’s poultry industry is expanding rapidly, with poultry products widely consumed across the country. However, the rapid growth of poultry farming has raised concerns about human health and sparked an important question.

The British newspaper Financial Times reported that in some large poultry farms in Punjab, the high concentration of chickens and excessive use of antibiotics are increasing the risk of the spread of germs that could develop resistance to commonly used medicines.

A study conducted on 100 poultry farms in Pakistan found that around 66 percent of antibiotics were being used for prevention rather than treatment of diseases, while some critically important medicines were also being used.

According to experts, the main concern is not eating chicken itself, but the unnecessary use of antibiotics, poor hygiene, and inadequate safety measures.