Concerns have emerged over allegations that some poultry farmers in Zimbabwe are illegally adding antiretroviral (ARV) medicines meant for people living with HIV to chicken feed and drinking water.
The practice is reportedly driven by farmers seeking to reduce deaths among broiler chickens and increase growth rates, allowing them to bring birds to market earlier and improve their profits.
However, experts warn that the use of human medicines in food-producing animals without proper authorisation is unlawful and could create risks for consumers, particularly through drug residues in meat.
An investigation by the Southern Africa Accountability Journalism Project (SA AJP) spoke to people involved in Zimbabwe’s poultry sector, including a farmer and an agricultural business advisory officer, who described the alleged practice.
A Harare broiler farmer, identified as Jane, not her real name, said she had been obtaining ARVs through an illegal supply network and adding them to chicken feed.
She said her initial motivation was not to make the chickens grow faster, but to reduce losses caused by diseases.
“Mortality was eating my profits,” she said.
“Newcastle disease would sweep through, and I was losing half my birds in some cycles. There was no money left for school fees.”
Jane said she was later introduced to a person who supplied her with TLD, a combination of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate, lamivudine and dolutegravir, which is used in HIV treatment.
She said she began crushing the tablets and mixing them into the chickens’ feed and water.
“The mortality rate plummeted, and my broiler chickens grew faster. I have since expanded my operation from 200 to 10,000 birds per cycle (over about two years). And, instead of waiting six weeks, I could sell them (for slaughter) at just four weeks,” she said.
According to Zimbabwean regulations, medicines intended for human treatment are regulated separately from veterinary drugs, and their use in food-producing animals requires appropriate authorisation.
Daniel Zulu, a former head of the Toxicology and Clinical Department at the Government Analyst Laboratory, warned that the practice could expose consumers to drug residues.
He said repeated exposure to ARV residues could potentially raise concerns for people living with HIV, although the extent of such risks has not been sufficiently studied.
The issue is particularly significant in Zimbabwe, which has a large population receiving HIV treatment.
There are also concerns about the diversion of ARVs into illegal markets, as medicines intended for patients could be diverted away from health facilities.
Farmers believe drugs improve growth
The alleged use of ARVs in poultry is not unique to Zimbabwe.
Research conducted in Uganda in 2019 found that some farmers used ARVs in poultry because they believed the medicines increased weight gain. Researchers subsequently detected ARV residues in animal feed and poultry samples.
A study in Tanzania also found residues of lamivudine in poultry and pig tissues and animal feed, providing evidence of the use of human ARVs in livestock production.
However, there is no established scientific evidence demonstrating that ARVs directly accelerate chicken growth.
An agricultural business advisory officer working with farmers in Harare said he had encountered similar practices during visits to poultry farms.
“The farmers admitted that they were using ARVs mixed with their chicken feed to accelerate broiler growth for financial gain,” he said.
The officer said he regularly advised farmers against using human medicines without proper veterinary guidance.
Experts warn of antimicrobial resistance
Brian Fungai Chikodze, a registrar with the Council of Veterinary Surgeons of Zimbabwe, said ARVs were allegedly being used alongside other human medicines, including antimicrobial drugs.
Antimicrobial misuse is a major global concern because it can contribute to antimicrobial resistance, making infections increasingly difficult to treat.
The Food and Agriculture Organization has also identified antimicrobial resistance as an increasing challenge in Zimbabwe’s poultry sector, with informal access to medicines and inappropriate antibiotic use contributing to the problem.
Chikodze warned that misuse of medicines in animals could ultimately affect human health.
“Whatever antimicrobial is used in the animals is going to be passed to the human consumers and simple infections become harder to treat, and people will be sicker for longer and in cases die from infections that were previously curable,” he said.
Jane said she was aware of the potential dangers and claimed she avoided eating chickens that had been given ARVs.
“I don’t eat the ARV-fed chickens,” she said.
“I have my own coop behind my house where I raise free-range chickens for me and my children.”
The Ministry of Health and Child Care was approached for comment on the alleged health risks. Its spokesperson Donald Mujiri acknowledged receiving the questions but had not responded by the time of publication.
The Department of Veterinary Services also did not respond to requests for comment.
The allegations highlight the need for stronger monitoring of medicine use in poultry production and greater awareness among farmers about the dangers of using human medicines in food-producing animals.
