SRINAGAR – In a major victory for poultry farmers, the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (DCDRC) Baramulla has awarded a compensation of ₹14.41 lakh to two poultry units from Sopore — Lone Poultry and KGN Poultry — after finding that the feed supplied to them was substandard and nutritionally deficient.
The case was filed against Maha Feeds Agrotech and its local distributor Bhat Poultries. The farmers alleged that the poultry feed supplied to them, which claimed a protein content of 20%, actually contained only 15.5% protein, as confirmed by a certified laboratory in Srinagar. The inferior feed reportedly led to stunted bird growth and high mortality on their farms.
Despite the suppliers denying any wrongdoing and blaming the losses on viral infections, the Commission, led by President Peerzada Qousar Hussain and Member Nyla Yaseen, ruled that the absence of a nutritional chart on the packaging was a clear violation of Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) guidelines.
The Commission called it an “unfair trade practice” under Section 2(47) of the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, emphasizing that non-disclosure of nutritional information breached the fundamental rights of consumers.
As per the order, both Lone Poultry and KGN Poultry will receive ₹5 lakh each in compensation. Additionally, the Commission directed the companies to refund ₹2.22 lakh and ₹1.89 lakh respectively — amounts spent on the defective feed — along with ₹30,000 towards litigation expenses.
Significantly, the companies have been ordered to recall all poultry feed lacking a nutritional chart from the market and ensure full compliance with BIS norms in future supplies. They have four weeks to implement the order.
This ruling is seen as a landmark for poultry farmers across India, reinforcing the importance of transparency and accountability in poultry nutrition.
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