Telangana Dairy Owner Held for Injecting Banned Drug to Boost Buffalo Milk Yield
A 56-year-old dairy farm owner in Telangana's Pocharam area has been arrested by the local police for allegedly using oxytocin injections, a banned veterinary drug, to artificially increase milk production in buffaloes.
The accused, identified as M. Rangaiah Yadav, also runs a water plant business. Acting on a tip-off, officers from the Pocharam IT Corridor Police raided his dairy farm in Maktha village on Wednesday. They caught him administering the prohibited hormone to buffaloes and seized five vials of oxytocin injections from the spot.
Oxytocin is a hormone that induces milk let-down in mammals. However, its use in dairy animals has been banned in India under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, as repeated administration can cause health issues in animals and potentially harm humans consuming the milk.
A case has been registered under relevant sections of the law, and further investigation is underway to determine the source of the banned drug and the duration of its use on the dairy farm. No other employees have been arrested so far.
This incident highlights ongoing concerns about the illegal use of oxytocin in the dairy sector. Authorities have previously conducted crackdowns across the country to curb the practice.
