Microsoft Word - 5 Rehrahie_PERCEPTION_corectat 31 iulie.doc 154 Journal homepage: www.fia.usv.ro/fiajournal Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University of Suceava, Romania Volume XVII, Issue 2 - 2018, pag. 154 - 164 PERCEPTION OF FARMERS, FEED PROCESSORS AND FEED RETAILERS ON CONTAMINANTS OF LIVESTOCK FEED AND WATER IN SOME SELECTED AREAS OF ETHIOPIA *Rehrahie MESFIN1.3, Getnet ASSEFA2, Fassil ASSEFA3 1Holetta Agricultural Research Center, P.O. Box 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, e-mail: rehrahiemesfin@gmail.com 2Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Livestock Research Directorate Office, P. O. Box 2003, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 3Addis Ababa University (AAU), Science faculty, Department of Microbial, Cellular and Molecular Biology, P.O.Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Received 28th November 2017, accepted 25th June 2018 Abstract: The study was undertaken in Western, Eastern and Southern Shoa Ethiopia with the aim of assessing the handling and storage practices of feeds and risks related to livestock water along the feed production, marketing and utilization chain. A total of 180 individuals (feed processors=33, feed retailers=51, smallholder dairy producers=96) participated in the study. Because of improper harvesting and stacking, 91% of farmers encountered mold in roughage feeds. Most of the farmers provide light-moldy feeds to livestock by mixing with uncontaminated ones. About 67% and 33% of the interviewed farmers utilized extreme moldy feeds for firewood and damping respectively. Farmers perceived industrial effluent and leech to be as a safety risk to livestock water. All the interviewed farmers from Eastern Shoa were aware of industrial effluents as a problem for dairy production; and 66% and 34% of the respondents from Eastern and Western Shoa respectively identified leech to be a safety problem to livestock water. About 69% of the farmers used bucket for scooping from water bodies to exclude leech from being consumed by animals; and 50% of them treated animals with chopped tobacco and onion as indigenous knowledge. Feed processors=64%, feed retailers=82% and dairy producers=56% did not store their feed on raised floor indicating that there is probability of mold formation in stored feeds. About 67% of the feed processors, 73% feed retailers and 58% of the dairy producers stored concentrate feeds for shorter period of time (1 month). Keywords: Concentrate feed, dairy producers, questionnaire, storage time, value chain. 1. Introduction In Ethiopian agriculture, livestock has a 40% share of agricultural production and contributes to 13-16% of the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) 1. At household level, livestock production has become important for the livelihood of pastoralists, agro-pastoralists, and smallholder farmers 2. The economic benefits gained from export of livestock and livestock products in 2015/2016 were estimated at 37.5 million US dollar 3. Although the country poses the highest number of livestock species in Africa, the annual per capita consumption of milk in 1996 for example was of 17 kg which was lower than that of per capita milk consumption of other South and Central African countries and developed countries which was of 26 kg and 200 kg respectively 4. Despite some improvements on export of livestock and livestock products in recent years, productivity and commercialization of the livestock sub-sector is still very low Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University - Suceava Volume VII, Issue 2 – 2018 Rehrahie Mesfin, Getnet Assefa and Fassil Assefa, Perception of farmers, feed processors and feed retailers on contaminants of livestock feed and water in central highlands of Ethiopia, Food and Environment Safety, Volume XVII, Issue 2 – 2018, pag. 154 – 164 155 2 5.This is because livestock production is mainly undertaken by small-holding rural producers and pastoralists using inefficient local breeds depending on poor quality pastures and lack of veterinary services 4. Moreover, the peri-urban and urban livestock production system is suffering from inadequate supply of animal feeds due to the underdeveloped agri-food chain and other structural problems 4. Livestock production in the country is mainly dependent upon basal roughage feeds resources including natural pasture, hay and crop residues whereas peri-urban and urban dairy producers use supplemental feed including agro- industrial by-products such as wheat bran, noug seed meal, linseed meal, cottonseed meal and non-conventional concentrate feeds such as poultry liter and home produced by products of cereals and pulses (Rehrahie, unpublished data). For many years now, a lot of attention has been given to increase the quantity of feed through research in Ethiopia 6 7, However, there is a dearth of information on the quality and safety status of feed stuffs that determine the quality, safety of livestock products (milk, meat and egg). The ever-growing movement of food through international trade also necessitates guarantying the quality and safety of imported, exported and locally produced food products 8. The main factors that affect feed and food safety is categorized into biological, chemical and physical contaminants 9. Feed and water sources are contaminated with chemicals such as heavy metals, and toxins and compromise the quality and safety of dairy products through the food chain. The biological contaminants, mainly the filamentous Fungi grow on agricultural products and cause postharvest deterioration in cereals, oilseeds and legumes and by producing the chemical byproducts known as mycotoxins 10. The fungus that is grown in the field is further flourish at harvest, storage and processing 11 12. Under optimum condition (moisture of > 13% and temperature of 400F-1000F), mold spores germinate, increase in number and consequently utilize the nutrients in grains and feeds and can reduce the nutritional quality of grains and feeds 13. 14 reported that storage fungi had adverse impact in reducing the carbohydrate content of sorghum grain in Eastern Harerghie, Ethiopia. Apart from that, supply of moldy feeds results in reduced digestibility 13, reduced feed intake, nutrient intake, weight gains and milk production 15. A production performance lose of 5-10% was also observed with feeding moldy feeds to livestock even in the absence of mycotoxins 13. There are different stakeholders in the value chain of dairy production systems which include small-scale peasant farmers, peri-urban and urban milk producers, feed processors, and distributors. The experience and indigenous knowledge of these partners, together with the monitoring and quantitative analysis of physical, chemical, and biological contaminants, is very vital to improve the handling and management of feeds in order to ensure the safety of dairy products. Such studies can be used as benchmarks to scale up dairy production in the country. In this study attempt was made to assess feed storage practices, and problems associated with safety of feeds and water on livestock species based on the experiences and perception of stakeholders including feed processers, feed retailers, smallholder urban dairy producers and farmers. Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University - Suceava Volume VII, Issue 2 – 2018 Rehrahie Mesfin, Getnet Assefa and Fassil Assefa, Perception of farmers, feed processors and feed retailers on contaminants of livestock feed and water in central highlands of Ethiopia, Food and Environment Safety, Volume XVII, Issue 2 – 2018, pag. 154 – 164 156 2. Materials and Methods 2.1. Study location The study was carried out in Western shoa (Welmera/Holetta), Addis Ababa, Eastern Shoa (Akaki, Gelan and Ada) and Hawassa. Addis Ababa and Holetta are located at 38° 30`E, 9° 3`N. Ada and Hawassa are located in the Great Rift Valley at latitude of 8O50 to 8O53 and longitude of 38O55 to 38O59 at an altitude of 1708 m.a.s.l and 1600-2400 m.a.s.l respectively. Hawassa is located 285 km of Addis Ababa, South Ethiopia. The average annual rainfall was 1100 mm and average low and high temperature of 12.6 oc and 27.3 oc respectively 16. Map of the study locatons are indicated in Fig. 1, 2 ,3 and 4. Fig 1. Map of Holetta in Western Shoa Fig 3. Map of Addis Ababa 2.2. Data collection and analysis The study was conducted using a semi- structured questionnaire involving a total of 180 feed processors, feed retailers, urban smallholder dairy producers and rural farmers in Central Ethiopia (Welmera, Addis Ababa, Akaki, Gelan, Ada and Hawassa) on feed storage Fig 2. Map of Bishoftu in Eastern Shoa Fig 4. Map of Hawassa methods and observed risks on livestock species that have been exposed to contaminated feeds and water. The collected data (qualitative) were organized and analyzed using descriptive statistics available in IBM 17. Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University - Suceava Volume VII, Issue 2 – 2018 Rehrahie Mesfin, Getnet Assefa and Fassil Assefa, Perception of farmers, feed processors and feed retailers on contaminants of livestock feed and water in central highlands of Ethiopia, Food and Environment Safety, Volume XVII, Issue 2 – 2018, pag. 154 – 164 157 3. Results and discussions 3.1. Problems of mold in animal feeds The experiences of farmers on occurrence of moldy feeds, suitable seasons for mold formation and risks of moldy feeds to livestock species are presented in table 1. According to the interviewed respondents 91% (78) of them recognized the presence of mold problem mainly in roughage feeds including crop residues and hay. According to these respondents, mold formation occurred mainly during the rainy season or when roughage feeds are stacked in the absence of proper drying during harvest or because of bad baling style that can promote transfer of rain water. Table 1 Response of farmers on occurrence of mold in feeds, severe moldy season and problems of moldy feeds to livestock Farmer's response Farmer's response Farmer's response Suitable season for mold formation N % Problems of moldy feeds to livestock N % Manageme nt of moldy foods N % Rainy season 32 100 Illness 52 59 Damping 9 33 Dry season 0 0 Feed rejection 22 25 Firewood 18 67 Total 32 100 Abortion 13 15 Total 27 100 Death 1 1 Total 88 100 Those farmers who encountered mold in their feeds admitted that they provide lightly contaminated moldy feeds with livestock species by mixing them with fresh feeds which is in agreement with the practices employed in many countries 18. However, 33% of the interviewed farmers completely discarded/dumped the extremely moldy feeds in landfills, and 67% of the respondents used moldy feeds for firewood implying that farmers have recognized the disadvantage of feeding moldy feeds to livestock species. In the situations when animals were fed with moldy feeds, farmers observed problems with their livestock such as illness (59%), feed rejection (25%), abortion (15%) and death (1%). The observation of farmers was similar to the bad effect of mold indicated in 19 where feed rejection and reduced feed intake were some of the associated problems of moldy feeds to livestock species. It was also reported that moldy feeds affected the production performance of cattle because of deterioration of nutrients in the mold contaminated feeds. Apart from any toxin effects, the mold itself caused production losses 20. Livestock producers in Minoseta reported that the animals given mold contaminated feeds encountered health problems such as reduced feed intake, diarrhea, reduced weight gain, abortions or death 20. 3.2. Farmers’ perception on causes and effects of contaminated water The experience of farmers in relation to the causes and effects of contamination/ pollution of livestock water is presented in table 2. Accordingly, the majority (80%) of the interviewed farmers had knowledge on contamination of livestock water with undesirable substances and parasites in their surroundings and recognized the two major contaminants of livestock water. One of them was the effluents discharged from industries particularly in Eastern Shoa, and the other was the problem of the parasitic leech (Lymnatis nilotica) that naturally infest water sources during dry season which was commonly observed in Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University - Suceava Volume VII, Issue 2 – 2018 Rehrahie Mesfin, Getnet Assefa and Fassil Assefa, Perception of farmers, feed processors and feed retailers on contaminants of livestock feed and water in central highlands of Ethiopia, Food and Environment Safety, Volume XVII, Issue 2 – 2018, pag. 154 – 164 158 Eastern and Western Shoa. It was reported that scarcity and poor quality of water in relation to leech infestation was reported by farmers as third most important problems (27%) of livestock production in Dendi area, Ethiopia next to feed and animal diseases 21. High prevalence of leech infestation was observed in the dry season because of reduced flow, quantity and run of water into water sources as well as because of washing and bathing closer to livestock watering points 21. Report from interview of farmers in Sodo district SNNP, also revealed that 95% of the respondents rated leech as a major animal health problem 22. Whereas, in Northern Ethiopia, Alamata, infestation of livestock water with Leech was identified as a last risk among the major cattle health problems and verified, leech, as blood sucking parasite attach the pharynx part of the oral cavity while animals drink water and was responsible for loose of large amount of blood within short period of time resulting in anemia 23. 24 in Libya also reported the exposure of different livestock species to leech infestation with increased rate observed in cattle 24. Table 2 Farmer's perception on causes and risks of contaminated water Causes of water contamination by location Farmers’ response Farmers’ response Risks related to leech contaminated water Farmers’ response % Risks related to effluent contaminated water N o % No % Leech in Holetta 34 Diaharrea 6 20 illness and water rejection 37 76 Leech in Bishoftu 66 Bad smell, water rejection, skin itching & emaciation 22 73 Death 8 16 Effluent in Holetta 0 Coughing 2 7 Milk reduction 4 8 Effluent in Bishoftu 100 Total 30 100 Total 49 100 Almost all of the interviewed farmers from Eastern Shoa have observed the effluents released from different factories in the surrounding water bodies that have become a risk to health of livestock species. About 66% of the interviewed farmers from Eastern Shoa admitted that the parasite leech (Lymnatis nilotica) was the second important parasite in livestock water. However, the interviewed farmers from Holetta did not mention pollution of water because of effluents released from factories; but 34% of the respondents from Holetta identified that leech was the major contaminant of livestock water. Almost all of the farmers in Eastern Shoa had the perception of the different risks related to drinking of effluent contaminated water to livestock species, and 73% of them associated the contamination with commonly observed problems of bad smell, water rejection, emaciation and skin itching, followed by diarrhea (20%) and coughing (7%). Likewise, the majority (76%) of the farmers in both locations agreed that Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University - Suceava Volume VII, Issue 2 – 2018 Rehrahie Mesfin, Getnet Assefa and Fassil Assefa, Perception of farmers, feed processors and feed retailers on contaminants of livestock feed and water in central highlands of Ethiopia, Food and Environment Safety, Volume XVII, Issue 2 – 2018, pag. 154 – 164 159 illness (nose bleeding), reduced body weight and water rejection were commonly associated with leech contamination of water followed by death (16%) and milk reduction (8%). The health problems mentioned by the interviewed farmers in the present study was similar to the reports of 25 in that bleeding and reduced appetites were the commonly observed problems in cows which consumed leech contaminated water in Iran. 3.3. Indigenous practices employed to overcome leech infested water The farmers also had the traditional knowledge and experience of applying different traditional practices to control contamination of Leech in water bodies and mouth of the animal (Table 3). Among the interviewed farmers the highest proportion (69%) of them used bucket for selectively scooping water from the water body and excluding the ingestion of Leech by the animals. Farmers also employed immersion of Endod in water bodies as a second (13%) important leech minimizing practice. This was scientifically proved by a study undertaken in Sodo, Guragie zone of Ethiopia, in that application of Endod (Phytolacca dodecandra) in water bodies resulted in 97-100% reduction in streams used for livestock drinking 22. Farmers also practiced different strategies to remove leech from the mouth of animals of which 50% of them used to drench chopped tobacco and or onion to livestock species. According to the respondents, 32% of them physically removed the leech from the animal by hand which was similar to the practices and experience of leech removal employed in Iran 25. In this study, 10% and 8% of the respondents respectively solved the problem by drenching tablet and restriction of animals from drinking water for one day to facilitate release of leech in the mouth of the animal so as to be able easier to remove it from the mouth. To prevent contamination of livestock water with leech, the farmers in West Shoa (Dendi), Ethiopia employed different practices such as separating human and livestock water points, washing and bathing areas and fencing livestock water points 21. Table 3 Indigenous practices to overcome leech infested water Practice to prevent leech from being consumed by animals % Practice to kill leech entered in animal body % Immersion of stalk of noug and linseed 6 Drenching chopped Tobacco and/or onion 50 Immersion of Endod (Phytolacca dodecandra) 13 Drenching tablet 10 Bucket watering 69 Withdrawal of water 8 Use of other alternative water sources 12 Taking away from mouth 32 Total 100 Total 100 3.4. Storage methods of concentrate feeds in feed processing factories In this study, different stakeholders involved in the feed production, marketing and utilization chain were interviewed to evaluate the storage methods of concentrate feeds. Accordingly, the majority of the feed manufacturers (64%) stored their concentrate feed on cement floor without using palate (table 4). Palate is any material (minimum of 50 cm height) placed on a floor over which concentrate feed is stored to avoid contact between the Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University - Suceava Volume VII, Issue 2 – 2018 Rehrahie Mesfin, Getnet Assefa and Fassil Assefa, Perception of farmers, feed processors and feed retailers on contaminants of livestock feed and water in central highlands of Ethiopia, Food and Environment Safety, Volume XVII, Issue 2 – 2018, pag. 154 – 164 160 concentrate feed and the floor to minimize the transfer of moisture. It was observed that some feed manufacturers left some space between two adjacent stored concentrate feeds and between the stored feed and the wall and the roof to allow ventilation implying that they have good understanding of benefit of air circulation in stored feeds. They have similar understanding with people in developed countries in that grain storage facilities in the U.S. have fans installed for ventilation and temperature control in the stored grain 15. Table 4 Storage methods of concentrate feeds in feed processing factories (% and n) Study location Storage method Holetta Bishoftu Hawassa Total On cement floor with no palate 61 (11) 50 (3) 78 (7) 64 (21) On cement floor with palate 33 (6) 17 (1) 11 (1) 24 (8) On soil floor with no palate 0 (0) 17 (1) 0 (0) 3 (1) On soil floor with palate 6 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 3 (1) Missing 0 (0) 17 (1) 11 (1) 6 (2) Total 100 (18) 100 (6) 100 (9) 100 (33) Consecutive figures in each cell are percent and number of respondents respectively Among the interviewed feed manufacturers in this study, the majority (72%) of them preferred using palate to store only wheat flour whereas, 28% of the interviewees used palate equally for both wheat flour and wheat bran. 3.5. Storage duration of concentrate feeds in feed manufacturers The storage duration of concentrate feeds by feed manufacturers is presented in table 5. Accordingly, the majority (67%) of the interviewed feed manufacturers stored their concentrate feeds for shorter duration (a maximum of 1 month) which is related to the higher market demand for concentrate feeds in the country. The result also showed that 24 % of the feed manufacturers kept their concentrate feed for duration of 6-8 months, particularly during the rainy seasons when alternative feed resources such as green grass were available and resulting in decreased market demand and increased storage time of concentrate feeds. Table 5 Storage duration of concentrate feeds in feed manufacturers (% and n) Study location Storage duration (month) Holetta Bishoftu Hawassa Total 1 61 (11) 50 (3) 89 (8) 67 (22) 2 - 3 6 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 3 (1) 4 - 6 6 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 3 (1) 6 - 8 28 (5) 33 (2) 11 (1) 24 (8) Missing 0 (0) 17 (1) 0 (0) 3 (1) Total 100 (18) 100 (6) 100 (9) 100 (33) Consecutive figures in each cell are percent (%) and number of respondents (n) respectively Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University - Suceava Volume VII, Issue 2 – 2018 Rehrahie Mesfin, Getnet Assefa and Fassil Assefa, Perception of farmers, feed processors and feed retailers on contaminants of livestock feed and water in central highlands of Ethiopia, Food and Environment Safety, Volume XVII, Issue 2 – 2018, pag. 154 – 164 161 3.6. Storage methods of concentrate feeds in feed retailers The storage style of concentrate feeds in feed retailers is presented in table 6. The majority of the feed retailers (82%) in the study locations stored their concentrate feed on cement floor without using palate. The situation was worse than that of feed manufacturers and feed processors where 64% of the owners stored their concentrate feed on cement floor without using palate. Among these feed retailers the majority were in Hawassa (93%) followed by Holetta (84%) and Bishoftu (71%). Table 6 Storage methods of concentrate feeds in feed retailers (% and n) Study location Feed storage styles Holetta Bishoftu Hawassa Total On cement floor with no palate 84 (16) 71 (12) 93 (14) 82 (42) On cement floor with palate 5 (1) 6 (1) 0 (0) 4 (2) On soil floor with no palate 0 (0) 24 (4) 7 (1) 10 (5) On soil floor with palate 5 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 2 (1) Missing 5 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 2 (1) Total 100 (19) 100 (17) 100 (15) 100 (51) Consecutive figures in each cell are percent (%) and number of respondents (n) respectively 3.7. Storage duration of concentrate feeds in feed retailers The storage durations of concentrate feeds in feed retailers is shown in table 7. The majority of them (73%) in the study locations on average stored their feed for a shorter period of time (1 month). This was because of the higher demand of concentrate feeds by livestock producers. The feed retailers that stored their concentrate feeds for very short duration of time (1 month) was lower in Holetta (47%) than the feed retailers from Bishoftu (82%) and Hawassa (93%). Table 7 Storage duration of concentrate feeds in feed retailers (% and n) Study location Feed storage duration (month) Holetta Bishoftu Hawassa Total 1 47 (9) 82 (14) 93 (14) 73 (37) 1 - 2 0 (0) 6 (1) 0 (0) 2 (1) 2 – 3 5 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 2 (1) Missing 47 (9) 12 (2) 7 (1) 24 (12) Total 100 (19) 100 (17) 100 (15) 100 (51) Consecutive figures in each cell are percent (%) and number of respondents (n) respectively 3.8. Storage methods of concentrate feed in dairy producers The storage methods of concentrate feeds in smallholder dairy producers is shown in table 8. The majority (56%) of the smallholder dairy producers stored on cemented floor with no palate, followed by 16% of the dairy producers that stored their feed on soil floor lined with certain sheet such as plastic or cloth of which the majority were dairy producers from Holetta (27%). Majority of the dairy producers from Bishoftu (76%) and Hawassa (73%) stored their concentrate feeds on cemented floor without palate. The present study has also shown that 64% of the feed processor (table 5.4), 82% of feed retailers (table 7) and 56% of dairy producers (table 9) have not used palate for placing their Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University - Suceava Volume VII, Issue 2 – 2018 Rehrahie Mesfin, Getnet Assefa and Fassil Assefa, Perception of farmers, feed processors and feed retailers on contaminants of livestock feed and water in central highlands of Ethiopia, Food and Environment Safety, Volume XVII, Issue 2 – 2018, pag. 154 – 164 162 concentrate feeds indicating, there is probability of mold formation in stored concentrate feeds. Although no information was available showing the bad effect of the traditional storage and handling methods of livestock feeds in Ethiopia and abroad, few survey studies were conducted in the country to evaluate traditional grain storage practices and structures (differing from region to region) on nutrient quality of cereal grains. Accordingly, storing sorghum for longer duration deteriorated the nutritional composition 14; 26. About 16% lose in grains (by weight) in the pastoralist areas of Ethiopia were also recorded because of deteriorations in nutrient composition of stored sorghum in relation to mold contamination 27. According to 28, quality and nutrient deterioration was observed in stored maize in farmers employing traditional grain storage practices. The author identified mold and insects to be the two major factors causing nutrient deterioration in grains and observed moisture and temperature as ideal medium for mold growth. According to 29, 50% loss in the yield of sorghum grain was recorded because of insect pests in South Western Ethiopia. Table 8 Storage methods of concentrate feed in dairy producers (% and n) Study location Feed storage methods Holetta Bishoftu Hawassa Total On cemented floor with no palate 21 (7) 76 (25) 73 (22) 56 (54) On cemented floor with palate 0 (0) 0 (0) 10 (3) 3 (3) On soil floor with no palate 3 (1) 15 (5) 7 (2) 8 (8) On soil floor lined with certain sheet 27 (9) 9 (3) 10(3) 16 (15) Missing 49 (16) 0 (0) 0 (0) 17 (16) Total 100 (33) 100 (33) 100 (30) 100 (96) Consecutive figures in each cell are percent (%) and number of respondents (n) respectively 3.9. Storage duration of concentrate feeds in dairy producers The storage durations of concentrate feeds in smallholder dairy producers is presented in table 9. Due to increased price of concentrate feeds these days, the majority of dairy producers (58%) stored their concentrate feed for a shorter period of about 1-2 weeks. Table 9 Storage duration of concentrate feeds in dairy producers (% and n) Study location Storage duration (week) Holetta Bishoftu Hawassa Total 1 0 (0) 0 (0) 25 (10) 10 (10) 1 - 2 30 (10) 33 (11) 40 (16) 58 (37) 3 - 4 24 (8) 42 (14) 20 (8) 12 (30) Missing 46 (15) 24 (8) 15 (6) 31 (29) Total 100 (33) 100 (33) 100 (40) 100 (106) Consecutive figures in each cell are percent (%) and number of respondents (n) respectively 4. Conclusions In this study, the majority of farmers had the knowledge on the occurrence, causes and effects of mold in feeds and, farmers dwelling in the industrial zone of Eastern Shoa mainly in Gelan area were aware of the pollution problems of livestock water Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University - Suceava Volume VII, Issue 2 – 2018 Rehrahie Mesfin, Getnet Assefa and Fassil Assefa, Perception of farmers, feed processors and feed retailers on contaminants of livestock feed and water in central highlands of Ethiopia, Food and Environment Safety, Volume XVII, Issue 2 – 2018, pag. 154 – 164 163 caused by released effluents from different factories. They were also aware of leech problem in livestock water use, and some also had indigenous knowledge on how to protect and treat their livestock from the scourge of the leech. Under these circumstances, they were also conscious of the pollution problems on the health and productivity of their livestock.The majority of the dairy producers, feed retailers and feed manufacturers did not use palate to store concentrate feed indicating that there was the possibility of mold occurrence in concentrate feeds. Further research needs to be undertaken along the feed production, processing, marketing and utilization chain, on the effects of different storage conditions by considering factors such as use of palate, ventilation and time of feed storage on mold formation and nutrient quality of feeds using larger sample size. 5. References 1 ZINASH, S., ALEMU, Y. Contribution of animal science research to food security. Proceedings of the 9th Ethiopian Society of Animal production (ESAP). Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. 31-45, (2001). 2 NEGASSA, A., RASHID, S., GEBREMEDHIN, B. Livestock production and marketing in Ethiopia. Ethiopian Support Strategy Program II (ESSP II) Working Paper 26. Washington, D.C. IFPRI. (2011). 3 Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD). The contribution of livestock to the Ethiopian economy-part II. IGAD livestock policy initiative, IGAD LPI working papers, No 02-11, (2017). 4 AZAGE, T., ALEMU, G. Prospects for peri- urban dairy development in Ethiopia. Available at: http://hdl.handl.net/10568/50997/, (1998). 5 ALEMIE, A., LEMMA, Z. Contribution of Livestock Sector in Ethiopian Economy: A review. Advances in life Science and technology, 29: 79-90, (2015). 6 DEREJE, D., DEBELA, K., WAKGARI, K., ZELALEM, D., GUTEMA, B., GERA, L., ADUGNA, T. Assessment of livestock production system and feed resources availability in three villages of Diga district Ethiopia. Research program on integrated systems for the humid tropics. ILRI, (2014). 7 ENDALE, Y., ABULE, E., LEMMA, F., GETNET, A. Feed resources and its utilization practices by smallholder farmers in Meta-Robi district, West Shoa zone, Oromiya regional state, Ethiopia. Academic Research Journal of Agricultural Science and Research, 4(4): 124-133, (2016). 8 FAO/WHO. Food safety risk analysis a guide for national food safety authorities. FAO food and nutrition paper 87, Rome, Italy, (2006). 9 FEED INDUSTRY HACCP AUDITOR MANUAL. Version 3, Office of the Texas State Chemist, Texas, (2011). 10 MOLD FACT SHEET. Cornell Cooperative Extension, New York Times Magazine, Cornel University, (2001). 11 IHESHIULOR, O., ESONU, B.O., CHUWUKA, O.K., OMEDE, A.A., OKOLI, I.C., OGBUEWU, I.P. Effects of mycotoxins in animal nutrition: a review. Asian J. Anim. Sci., 5(1): 19- 33, (2011). 12 SULEIMAN, S. E., AND ABDALLA, M. A. Presence of Aflatoxin M1 in Dairy Cattle Milk In Khartoum State-Sudan. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, (2)4: 2277-8616, (2013). 13 TARR, B. Managing the effects of molds and mycotoxins in ruminants. Nutrition News and Information update, Shur-Gain, Nutrico Canada Inc., (2006). 14 MASHLLA, D. Grain storage method and their effects on sorghum grain quality in Harerghe, Ethiopia. Department of ecology and crop production Science, Doctoral Thesis, Swedish University of Agricultural University, Uppsala, Sweden, (2004). 15 THOMAS, J.W., HJUBIK, J.G., PATRIC, H.L., MEERDINK, G., MARCZEWSKI, A.E. How to handle mold feed problems. MSU AG Facts, Extension Buletin E, 1670, (1983). 16 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Awasa, (2017). 17 Statistical Procedures in Social Sciences (SPSS). SPSS for windows version 20, Statistical Package for Social Sciences, US, (2011). 18 SHEWMAKER, G. What do you do with moldy hay? Extension dairy specialist, University of Idaho Extension, (2009). 19 WESTWAY FEED PRODUCTS. Mold inhibition: Factors and options. E-Z Glo feed mill products (2013). 20 DICOSTANZO, A., MURPHY, M. Strategies for feeding mycotoxin and mold Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, Ştefan cel Mare University - Suceava Volume VII, Issue 2 – 2018 Rehrahie Mesfin, Getnet Assefa and Fassil Assefa, Perception of farmers, feed processors and feed retailers on contaminants of livestock feed and water in central highlands of Ethiopia, Food and Environment Safety, Volume XVII, Issue 2 – 2018, pag. 154 – 164 164 contaminated grains to cattle. Beef cattle feed lot nutrition, University of Minoseta Extension, (2012). 21 BELAY, D., GETACHEW, E., AZAGE, T. AND HEDGE, B. Farmers perceived livestock production constraints in Ginchi watershed area: Results of participatory rural appraisal. International Journal of livestock production, 4(8): 128-134, (2013). 22 TADESSE, E., GETNET, A., MESFIN, S. Control of aquatic leeches (Lymantis nylotica) using Phytoloca dodecandra (Endod) in Sodo district, Guragie zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region, Ethiop. Vet. J., 14(2): 125-135, (2010). 23 YOHANNES, T. Major animal health problems of market oriented livestock development in Alamata wereda. Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) Thesis, Debre Zeit, Ethiopia, (2007). 24 NEGM-ELDIN, M.M., ABDRABA, A.M., BENAMER, H.E. The first reported leech infestation by Limnatis nilotica (Savigny 1822) of farm animals in Libya. Rabat Serie Zoologie, 4:33- 36, (2013). 25 BAHMANI, M., EFEKHARI, Z., MOHSEZADEGHAN, A., GHOTBIAN, F., ALIGHAZI, N. Leech (Limnatis nilotica) causing respiratory distress in a pregnant cow in Ilam province in Iran. Comp Clin. Pathom., 21: 501-503, (2012). 26 ABEBE, H.G. AND BEKELE, H. Farmers ‘post harvest grain management choices under Liquidity constraints and impending risks. Implications for achieving food security objectives in Ethiopia. Poster paper prepared for presentation at International Association for Economists Conference, Gold Coast, Australia, (2006). 27 HODGSON, R.J. The Southern Sidamo Rangeland Project 1985-1988. Perspectives on Development Interventions and Extension. Unpublished monograph, (1990). 28 DUBALE, B. Factors affecting quality of grain stored in Ethiopian traditional storage structures and opportunities for improvement. International Journal of Sciences: Basic and applied Research (IJSBAR), 18(1): 235-257, (2014). 29 CHEMEDA, A., ABUSH, T., ZEKARIAS, S. AND HABTE, J. Survey on farmer’s perception and management practices of insect pests on traditional stored sorghum in South Western Ethiopia. Crop protection 26, 1817-1825, (2007).