Pakistan, Islamabad - A three-member Supreme Court bench on Tuesday ordered authorities to destroy imported poultry feed – that was found to contain traces of pork – within three weeks.
The bench consisting of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Ijaz Ahmed and Justice Mahmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui also directed action against those responsible for importing the contaminated feed. The bench was conducting a suo motu hearing against the adulterated poultry feed. Appearing on notice earlier, Attorney General Latif Khosa said 14 samples of the imported feed were found to be contaminated with pork, after which, 150 containers of the feed had been seized in Lahore and Karachi.
Khosa said the companies fined for the feed import included one owned by a former parliamentarian from the Jamaat-e-Islami, Mian Aslam.
Lawyers for the poultry feed companies, requested the court to allow the tainted feed to be used as fertilizer, but the attorney general opposed the plea.
The SC also directed the companies to file affidavits in court, clearly stating that they would not import such feed in the future.
The SC said the importers would not only bear the expenses for the feed’s return, but would also pay fines and other penalties imposed by the customs department.
