Lahore
According to the sources of Daily Notable, Animal Nutrition Department of University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS) Lahore organized a stakeholder meeting on ‘GMO Issues and Future Strategies’ here at City Campus Lahore.
UVAS Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Nasim Ahmad and Vice-Chancellor University of Education Lahore (UE) Prof Dr. Talat Naseer Pasha co-chaired the meeting and sought recommendations/suggestions and technical inputs from the stakeholders regarding the import of genetically modified vegetable meals for poultry feed under the provisions of the Pakistan Biosecurity Rule.
Vegetable (soy/rapeseed/sunflower) meal is one of the basic ingredients for the production of poultry feed. Feed manufacturers and commercial importers have to import such scraps from different countries of the world and they have to require an environmental license from the Pakistan Environment Protection Agency under the provisions of the Pakistan Biosecurity Rule to import these genetically modified scraps.
On this occasion, Prof Dr. Nasim Ahmad said that UVAS always plays its leading role as a think tank/troubleshooter in solving problems of livestock, poultry and dairy industry.
He said that Pakistan is a well populated country and the price of quality meat is very high due to unavailability of soybeans and we are already facing problems of stunting and malnutrition here in Pakistan.
He said that UVAS provides the best platform for poultry stakeholders/professionals to share their problems/constraints and recommendations to solve the problems in the poultry sector.
Speaking to the audience, Prof. Dr. Talat Naseer Pasha stakeholders to launch a social media campaign to create awareness among the general public to adopt GMO techniques to increase crop production, which are used worldwide and are never harmful to human health.
He also highlighted the formation of a biosecurity committee to help the poultry industry meet the requirement to obtain a license to resume importing soybeans into Pakistan.
All stakeholders have recommended immediate lifting of the ban on imports of soybeans into Pakistan. They supported the adaptation of GMO techniques to increase crop production. They requested the Government of Pakistan to create a farmer-friendly policy to strengthen the poultry sector. They recommended launching a media campaign to reduce misconceptions associated with GMOs.
President of Pakistan Medical Association Lahore Prof Dr. Ashraf Nizami was the guest of honor while the meeting was attended by many stakeholders from the public and private sectors from Punjab (Pakistan Poultry Association, Buffalo Research Institute, Department of Agriculture), academicians, researchers and officials from the Animal Husbandry Department. – PUNA
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