This year the Department of Livestock Services will be deploying 21 medical teams for examining the health of around 5 lakh sacrificial animals at 168 authorised cattle markets in Chittagong. However, the medical teams lack modern equipment with which they could identify the hormones, steroids and other chemicals used for artificially fattening cattle. District livestock officials said that they have to depend on the conventional symptom-based method for detecting artificial fattening of cattle. According to the data provided by the District Livestock Office, a total of 4, 86,839 cattleheads were sacrificed in Chittagong during the last Eid-ul-Azha. This included 3,63,887 cows, 1,10,567 goats and 12,385 buffaloes. Md Rajib Ul Ahashan, Chittagong Assistant Commissioner and Executive Magistrate said that 139 cattle markets in total have been authorised in the district and the city (108 in the district under 14 upazilas, 23 in municipalities and eight markets in the city corporation area) for this year’s Eid-ul-Azha.  A total of 18 medical teams will work in the 159 cattle markets under 14 upazilas in the district, while three teams will be deployed in the nine cattle markets in the city. “Artificially fattened cattle can be easily identified by their movement. Healthy cattle will look vigorous, while an artificially fattened cow will move slowly and will look lethargic besides showing symptoms of respiratory problems,” said Dr. Shaheda Akhter, Additional District Livestock Officer. “Real farmers do not depend on the artificial fattening method. But some dishonest and profit-hungry cattle traders resort to using steroids to earn windfall profits during Eid-ul-Azha,” added Dr. Akhter. District livestock officials informed that this year as many as 2,18, 530 cattle are being scientifically fattened in 2,069 cattle farms in the district –  27,000 cattlheads are being reared in various dairy farms, while 1,91,530 cattleheads are being reared by individual farmers.   

“Headed by a veterinary surgeon, each medical team will comprise three-five members, including one para-veterinary surgeon and medical assistant,” said Dr. Md Abdul Hai, District Livestock Officer. “People should not panic. They can be rest assured since we are carrying out stringent inspections so that no sick or steroid-fattened sacrificial animal enter the cattle markets in Chittagong. As soon as we spot any suspicious animal, which is unusually healthy, we conduct a proper examination. Besides, we will hang banners in the cattle market containing the mobile phone numbers of our medical teams. Upon receiving a call, members of the medical teams will rush to the spot,” added the livestock officer.
Shankha Kumar Chakraborty, Deputy Director, Divisional Livestock Office, Chittagong, told The Independent that there is a laboratory in the capital to screen the presence of hormones, steroids and other chemicals in fattened cattle.
“Chittagong is yet to get the facility. It’s expensive to set up a laboratory. However, the plan to set up a laboratory in Chittagong is under active consideration,” added Chakraborty.  “We will be continuously monitoring all cattle markets in Chittagong and our veterinary staffs will work round the clock,” assured Chakraborty.
A mobile court on September 14 seized 1,000 tablets belonging to the dexamethasone group, a steroid used for rapid fattening of cattle from a local pharmacy in the city. The use of hormones and steroids for fattening cattle are banned according to the Animal Disease Control Act, 2010. The Animal Disease Control Act prescribes at least two years imprisonment or a fine amounting to Tk. 50,000 or both for those committing the offence.  
“Most of the drugs that are used for fattening cattle are not manufactured in Bangladesh. The steroid-based drugs are smuggled into the country from India,” said a Superintendent of Drugs, Drug Administration, Chittagong.
“We should keep vigil so that smuggled drugs do not enter the country. The people involved with the selling of smuggled drugs manage to go scot-free since it’s a non-cognizable offence. In case of a non-cognizable offence, the police cannot arrest a person without a court warrant,” added the Superintendent.    
Prof. (Dr) Gouranga Chandra Chanda, Head, Department of Dairy and Poultry Science, Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, disagreed with the livesctok officials. He said that symptom-based detection for artificial fattened cattle is not scientific.
“Although there are some telltale signs in steroid-fattened cattle, any scientific examination should be carried out in a laboratory. The symptom-based detection might create misunderstanding between the customers and the cattle traders,” said Prof. Chanda.
“The steroid-induced cattle appear big, but are weak as water is retained under the skin. Steroid-fattened cows cannot move normally and do not eat properly,” added Prof. Chanda. Prof. Chanda said that fattening cattle scientifically is a lengthy and expensive process. At least three to four months are necessary for improving cattle health scientifically. Veterinarians say that to fatten animals quickly they are fed 20-25 steroid tablets.
It creates unusual pressure on the kidneys and other organs. The drug affects the normal circulation of urine and within a few days the cow looks fat because it retains water in the
body.  “Lack of awareness, easy availability of steroid-based drugs and malpractices by quacks and cattle traders are the prime reasons for steroid abuse. The government should ensure that no one can buy these drugs without prescription from an authorised veterinarian,” added Prof. Chanda.   Physicians say that kidney, intestine, liver, heart and reproductive organs in the human body might get damaged after the consumption of fattened cattle. Dr. Md Rafiqueuddin, former Deputy Civil Surgeon of Chittagong said that the consumption of artificially fattened cattle poses a serious health hazard. “Consuming steroid-fattened cattle might cause many fatal diseases such as cancer, cardiac failure and kidney-related ailments for humans,” he said.