Banned elsewhere in the West, Israel permitting farmers to use feces as cattle feed

Israel still permits farmers to use poultry feces, feathers and chicken coop food scraps as cattle feed, despite the practice being banned in the European Union, the UK, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, Namibia, Australia, and New Zealand.

The Agriculture Ministry permits 43,000 tons of what it calls poultry manure to be fed to calves and cows each year, according to Freedom of Information data obtained by the animal rights organization, Animals Now.

The progressive group launched a public education campaign against the practice on Sunday called “Eat less meat, eat less shit,” with posts on social media and posters plastered on the streets of Tel Aviv and Ramat Gan. Animals Now said 43,000 tons of the taboo ingredients is equivalent to over 1,400 full trucks parked bumper to bumper on the more than 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) it takes to travel from Tel Aviv to Netanya.

Many countries have banned the practice to stop pathogens and residues from heavy metals, pesticides and antibiotics from getting into beef.

However, according to Animals Now, farms in the Israeli meat industry mix food with up to three kilograms (6.6 pounds) of poultry feces daily for beef calves. In the dairy industry, cows are fed feces for their first two years, the organization added.

The mixture — which must be treated by pickling or thermal heating before use — provides cheap protein to cattle.

Agriculture Ministry regulations specify that poultry manure manufacturers must test what they process every quarter and declare what antibiotics were fed to the poultry.

The regulations note that Clostridium botulinum is not eliminated during the curing or thermal heating process that the manure must undergo before it is used for feed.

Therefore, they instruct cattle breeders to vaccinate livestock against this toxic bacterium, although, they admit that vaccinations do not provide total protection.

Feces from coops contaminated by avian flu or other diseases cannot be used.

Defending the use of feces, the Agriculture Ministry said in a statement, “This is a common practice that provides a source of nitrogen for the production of protein in beef cattle feed. Unlike countries with rich natural grazing conditions, which allow for the supply of protein from plant sources in extensive grazing areas, Israel operates in a desert environment with limited land and grazing resources. Under these conditions, adapted feeding solutions are required.”