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Monitoring of aflatoxin levels in milk is often complicated in developing countries due to the dominance of informal markets channeling milk in raw form. Farmer's awareness and voluntary participation in aflatoxin mitigation can be critical in such scenarios. Therefore, the present study was conducted to understand the perceptions of dairy farmers about aflatoxins and link it with aflatoxin mitigation programs on milk in Pakistan. Information was collected from 450 peri-urban dairy farmers in seven cities using questionnaires. Majority (77.9%) of the farmers were aware of the negative impact of moldy feed on animal health. However, only 40.6% of the farmers were aware of the transferability of the toxins from moldy feed to milk. The farmers had almost no awareness of aflatoxins as 95% never heard of the term. After receiving an onsite briefing on effects of the toxin on animal and human health, and its transferability to milk, 98.3% farmers showed willingness to buy aflatoxin-safe feedstuffs, while 88.5% showed willingness to control aflatoxin in milk. Around half of the farmers considered aflatoxin control programs as affordable. On average, farmers agreed to pay 10.1% higher price for aflatoxin certified oilseed cakes. Availability of feedstuffs certified of low aflatoxin content was suggested by 22% of the participants as the critical step in reducing aflatoxins in milk. Other important suggestions included; subsidy on quality feeds (18%), raising awareness (18%), and legislation and monitoring (16%). The present results suggest that the current practice of milk monitoring in the country can yield desirable results only if it is coupled with feed certification programs ensuing availability of aflatoxin-safe feeds. Further, awareness can positively impact participation of producers in aflatoxin control programs. In this regard, awareness about effects of aflatoxins on animal health was found to be a more powerful trigger of voluntary control compared with the awareness of the toxin's transferability to milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aflatoxin M1 contamination of milk in Pakistan, like many developing countries, is poorly understood. The present study was therefore conducted to determine AFM1 contamination of milk and its contributory factors in Pakistan. We sampled milk and feedstuffs from 450 peri-urban dairy farms in seven major cities following a cross-sectional study design. Analysis of milk using ELISA revealed high contamination with an overall average of 3164.5 ng of AFM1/L, and significant differences (p < 0.001) between cities. The milk sampled from Gilgit, in northern hilly areas, had an average AFM1 level of 92.5 ng/L. Milk from other cities had 3529.7 ng/L average contamination, with only 5.7% samples qualifying the maximum tolerable limit of 500 ng of AFM1/L. Heavy mean aflatoxin contamination was found in bakery waste (724.6 μg/kg), and cottonseed cake (600.8 μg/kg). Rest of the other feedstuffs had moderate to low mean aflatoxin contamination, ranging from 66.0 μg/kg in maize stover to 3.4 μg/kg in wheat bran. The mean aflatoxin level in commercial dairy concentrates was 32.7 µg/kg. About 80% of the total aflatoxin intake of dairy animals was contributed by cottonseed cake alone due to its high aflatoxin contamination and proportion in dairy rations. On-farm storage time of oilseed cakes varied (p < 0.01) in different cities but was not associated with aflatoxin contamination. The exceptionally high AFM1 contamination suggests that milk from peri-urban dairy farms is a serious public health threat in Pakistan. This situation can be mitigated by reducing aflatoxin contamination in cottonseed cake and promoting the use of commercial concentrates and other feedstuffs with low contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Pakistan peri-urban milking buffaloes are usually overfed protein in attempt to maximize milk production which adds to the cost of feeding with little or no positive response on performance of the buffaloes. The present study was performed to assess protein status and N use efficiency in peri-urban milking buffaloes maintained on conventional feeding system. One hundred and twentysix (126) buffaloes in early to mid-lactation were selected from 20 peri-urban dairy farms at three different locations in KP province, Pakistan. The farms were visited monthly and data on daily milk yield and feed intake were recorded from January to December 2008. Samples of feed offered and evening milk were collected for laboratory analysis. The data were analyzed using ANOVA according to RCB factorial design. The results were grouped on the basis of crude protein (CP) in total DM consumed as low CP (9-11%), medium CP (12-14%) and high CP (15-17%). CP levels did not influence DM intake (14.34±0.6 kg) or milk yield (9.13 ± 1.3 liter). Milk urea-N (MUN) linearly (r2 =0.42) increased with increasing CP in the diet and ranged from 11.79 to 17.07 mg/100 ml. Nitrogen use efficiency for milk (MNE) ranged from 14.39% to 22.69% and negatively correlated (r2=0.56) with CP intake. Majority of the buffalos (48%) had CP intake in excess of requirements associated with increase in protein-energy ratios and N loss in excreta. Feed conversion efficiency was not influenced by dietary CP and averaged 0.83±0.12. Excess CP intake resulted from berseem feeding which adversely affected performance of the buffalos. Lower CP intake with feeding of maize fodder supported higher milk yield, improved MNE and reduced MUN. The results concluded that CP intake was influenced by type of fodder and CP higher than 11% in DM did not increase daily milk yield while significantly reduced MNE. Nitrogen utilization for enhanced milk yield in peri-urban buffaloes can be improved by balancing protein-energy ratio of dairy rations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]