Zimbabwe Farmers: Illicit ARVs Used in Chicken Feed

• Zimbabwean chicken farmers are illegally buying antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) from the black market to mix into poultry feed.
• Farmers use ARVs to reduce chicken mortality from diseases and accelerate growth, aiming to maximize profits and quicken turnaround for slaughter.
• The practice is unlawful and poses significant food safety concerns due to potential ARV residues in the meat consumed by humans.
• Experts worry that repeated human exposure to these residues could interfere with HIV treatment or contribute to drug resistance.
• An investigation in Harare revealed a sophisticated black market network supplying ARVs, including the specific TLD regimen, to farmers, leading to significant farm expansion.

Experts express serious concerns that repeated human exposure to ARV residues through contaminated chicken meat could potentially interfere with HIV treatment efficacy or contribute to the development of drug resistance, despite limited direct evidence in humans.

A recent investigation has brought to light a widespread and illicit practice among Zimbabwean chicken farmers: the regular incorporation of antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), intended for HIV patients, into poultry feed. Driven by a desire to maximize profits, farmers are reportedly acquiring these critical medications from the black market. They believe the drugs act as growth stimulants and offer protection against common poultry diseases, leading to fewer chicken deaths and a faster turnaround for slaughter.

The Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project (SA AJP) conducted interviews with two individuals actively involved in broiler chicken farming within the Harare area, both of whom confirmed the existence and mechanics of this practice. While the use of ARVs in chicken feed has been documented in other African countries, such as Tanzania and Uganda, its prevalence within Zimbabwe's poultry sector had not been widely known or publicly exposed until now. This unlawful activity not only diverts essential medicine from those who need it but also poses significant health risks to unsuspecting human consumers of the meat.

One farmer, identified pseudonymously as Jane, operates a broiler chicken farm in Harare's Waterfalls neighborhood. Her operation is meticulously concealed within a backyard, designed to appear as an ordinary residential property, complete with high walls, a narrow gate leading to the chicken houses, and CCTV cameras monitoring the compound. Jane openly admitted to covertly mixing ARVs into her chickens' feed, sourcing them illegally from a health worker employed at a local hospital.

She detailed a sophisticated black market network where the health official utilizes a team of peddlers. Her initial interaction involved an introduction by a fellow farmer and a deposit to confirm her serious intent to purchase. She was then directed to a peddler at the Copacabana bus terminus in Harare's CBD, where a specific code was exchanged for her supply of ARVs. Jane explained that these coded words or phrases are frequently changed by drug peddlers to evade detection by authorities. Her initial motivation for using ARVs was not to stimulate unnatural growth, but rather to combat devastating mortality rates from common poultry diseases like Newcastle disease, which were severely impacting her profits and causing her to lose up to half her birds in some cycles.

Jane learned about the ARV solution after discussing her challenges at a poultry workshop in Harare. A fellow poultry farmer subsequently visited her farm in Waterfalls and, for a fee of $100 paid in two installments, introduced her to TLD. This specific combination of antiretroviral drugs — comprising tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, lamivudine, and dolutegravir — is a once-daily fixed-dose tablet. According to Zvandiri, an HIV support program, TLD is the preferred first-line treatment regimen for adults and adolescents living with HIV in Zimbabwe.

After crushing these TLD tablets and incorporating them into her chickens' feed and water, Jane observed a dramatic reduction in mortality rates and significantly faster growth among her broiler chickens. However, experts have raised serious concerns that repeated human exposure to antiretroviral residues through contaminated chicken meat could potentially interfere with the effectiveness of HIV treatment or contribute to the development of drug resistance. While direct evidence for this specific impact in humans remains limited, the potential for long-term public health consequences is a significant worry, especially given Zimbabwe's high incidence of HIV.

The perceived success of using ARVs to boost TLD chicken growth in Zimbabwe led Jane to significantly expand her operation. Over approximately two years, she scaled her farm from 200 birds to an impressive 10,000 birds per cycle. This rapid expansion underscores the economic incentives driving farmers to engage in this illegal ARV poultry practice, despite the associated risks and legal ramifications. The widespread adoption of such methods, fueled by the black market for antiretroviral drugs, highlights a critical food safety issue within the Zimbabwean poultry supply chain.

The implications extend beyond individual farms, raising concerns for the entire food industry, from producers to retailers. The potential for ARV residues in broiler farming Zimbabwe products presents significant compliance and reputational risks for businesses. Ensuring robust supply chain due diligence becomes paramount to avoid association with these practices and to safeguard public health against the unknown effects of consuming meat from chickens fed with these powerful medications.

This exposé highlights significant compliance and reputational risks for businesses in the Zimbabwean poultry supply chain, from farms to retailers, due to the illegal use of ARVs. Lawyers should advise clients on potential regulatory scrutiny, food safety liabilities, and the need for robust supply chain due diligence to avoid association with such practices.

Source: Original reporting via Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project (SA AJP)