Milk from State contains least quantity of antibiotic residue, says study

 A study of milk samples from three southern states, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, carried out by the Trans Disciplinary University (TDU) and Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS), has revealed that milk from Karnataka contains least quantity of antibiotic residue.

The conclusion was drawn out after tests were conducted thrice over three years between 2013, 2014 and 2015 with 240 samples, said Dr M N Balakrishnan Nair, Emeritus Professor, (TDU), an expression of Foundation for the Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions, (FRLHT), Bengaluru.

He was speaking at the “India Donor and Knowledge Holders Meeting” sponsored by the Centre of Expertise for Natural Livestock Farming (NLF), Netherlands, held in the City on Saturday.

The main purpose of the meeting was to create an Indian Knowledge Application Platform for NLF. The mission was to achieve “One Health” (human, livestock and environment) based on natural products and holistic knowledge.

Dr Nair said that TDU and TANUVAS, along with the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) and MILMA Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd, are jointly working to reduce the level of antibiotic residue in milk to meet CODEX norms. To follow up on this, an “NLF-India Platform” was set up at the same meeting.

He also said that an intervention by TDU and TANUVAS in a selected area using herbal formulations has been able to reduce antibiotic residues in milk by up to 49 per cent in 2013-14.

Rakesh Singh, Managing Director, KMF, said that the Kolar Milk Union in Karnataka will produce safe milk as part of a pilot project, which will be launched in the new year. Initially, it will produce 25,000 to 30,000 litres of safe milk. The milk will use Indian herbal formulations. It is funded equally by Solidaridad, Holland and by Kolar Milk Union. The model will be used by Milma in Kerala.