Nima | Gelephu 

Karma Feeds yesterday said that it will compensate the poultry farmers whose chicken died from the suspected contamination of its poultry feeds.

This compensation for affected farmers was assessed in consultation with the Department of Livestock and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests.

The disbursement of compensation will be implemented in collaboration with DoL within 15 days, according to the press release from the company.

“The company is bearing 100 percent of the assessed compensation as it feels deeply for the losses suffered by farmers. This is done despite the ongoing investigation and in absence of confirmation of contamination,” the press release states.

The monetary compensation is in addition to the poultry feed that has already been recalled and replaced.

A poultry farmer from Dekiling, Pema Rinchen, said that the compensation would help revive the business and solve their problems.

“As long as it’s intended to address our problem, we would also look at why Karma Feeds is better than other imported feeds. Consuming the local product is the best,” he said.

“This little help will definitely make a lot of the farmers rethink, plan and also have some sort of trust in Karma Feeds,” said Pema Rinchen.

Farmers from across the country complained of high mortality and reduced egg production after the poultry birds were given poultry feeds produced by Karma Feeds on November 24, 25, 27, 29, 30, and December 1, early this month.

Poultry farmers from 16 dzongkhags and over 364,000 birds were affected, according to the record with the DOL.

Over 3,000 poultry birds died and close to 40 farmers from Sarpang were affected because of the feeds, according to records with Sarpang Layer Cooperative (SLC), the largest poultry farmers’ cooperative in Sarpang.

The Department of Livestock dispatched 15 samples of poultry feeds that were produced by Karma Feeds on December 21 for study.

The department also sent the samples from the suspected contamination feeds to Thailand.

The laboratory facility in the country could not detect the level of toxicity or contamination in the feeds that caused problems in poultry farms across the country.

The compensation is expected to cost over Nu 26M. The company spent over Nu 22M in recalling and replacing the feeds.