Dairy farmers in Thika West Sub-County have been asked to be vigilant when buying animal feeds to avoid buying sub-standard feeds that have recently flocked the market.
Speaking on Wednesday in Thika Town during an inspection exercise of various agrovets, Thika West Sub-County Livestock Production Officer Jacqueline Muthoni noted that many farmers had been duped into buying fake animal feeds.
"We have found it necessary to start carrying out regular inspections in most of these agrovets where farmers source their animal feeds,” said Muthoni.
She added, "We have information that some rogue manufacturers have been blending, repackaging and then selling their sub-standard products using the names of trusted brands in the market.”
Muthoni said that farmers buy the said feeds with high expectations only to be disappointed when they fail to deliver.
She added that some farmers have even ended up selling their animals to butchers, thinking that they have reached the unproductive stage.
"These feeds lack the appropriate supplements essential for the animals' productivity which end up rendering them unproductive. This is very bad and we will launch a crackdown on such manufacturers,” said Muthoni.