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🧪 In Jalpaiguri, A Feed Testing Lab Stays Shut for 7 Years: A Ticking Food Safety Crisis

Prashant

Jalpaiguri, July 2025 | Dairy Dimension Investigative Report
Seven years after its grand inauguration, the Regional Animal Feed Testing Laboratory in Jalpaiguri remains non-functional, despite housing equipment worth several crores. As concerns rise over adulterated animal feed and its downstream effects on food safety, this case stands as a symbol of systemic lapses in India’s livestock safety infrastructure.

🏢 Lab Inaugurated, But Never Opened

Set up under the West Bengal Animal Resources Development Department at Nayabasti Para, the lab was meant to serve all of North Bengal, testing feed for:

However, not a single veterinarian, lab technician, or attendant has ever been appointed. The facility has remained locked since the ribbon was cut.

“A proposal has already been sent to the state government to operationalise the lab,” said Dr. Subodh Pal, Acting Deputy Director for ARD in Jalpaiguri.

⚠️ Why Feed Testing Matters

Animal feed adulteration isn’t just a veterinary issue—it affects public health, livestock productivity, and milk and meat quality. Without testing:

Consumer rights groups warn that unregulated poultry feed, laced with growth stimulants, may be altering the taste, texture, and safety of poultry products.

“Adulterated feed goes unchecked. This directly compromises food safety,” said Tapan Chakraborty, spokesperson, Jalpaiguri Consumer Protection Association.

🔍 Operational in Name Only

Though the adjoining Regional Laboratory for Animal Disease Investigation is officially “functional,” it is severely understaffed. It lacks:

Samples such as serum, faeces, and blood are now routinely shipped to Belgachia, Kolkata—delaying diagnosis and treatment in livestock.

🧠 Systemic Insights: What This Case Reveals

  1. Policy-Implementation Gap
    Despite infrastructure investments, the absence of human resources renders them ineffective—an issue mirrored in several state-run agri and veterinary labs across India.
  2. Public Health Blind Spot
    Without feed testing, the link between livestock input quality and human food safety remains broken. This is especially risky with the rise of antimicrobial resistance and zoonotic disease threats.
  3. Misuse of Funds
    The state audit flagged the situation as a case of wasted public expenditure, raising questions about planning accountability.
  4. Impact on Dairy and Poultry Sector
    In areas like Jalpaiguri, where smallholder dairy and poultry farms dominate, lack of feed testing hits animal productivity, reproductive health, and milk yield consistency.

🛠️ What Needs to Be Done

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