Banned elsewhere in the West, Israel permitting farmers to use feces as cattle feed

Israel still permits farmers to use poultry feces, feathers and chicken coop food scraps as cattle feed, despite the practice being banned in the European Union, the UK, Switzerland, Canada, Japan, Namibia, Australia, and New Zealand.

The Agriculture Ministry permits 43,000 tons of what it calls poultry manure to be fed to calves and cows each year, according to Freedom of Information data obtained by the animal rights organization, Animals Now...

Many countries have banned the practice to stop pathogens and residues from heavy metals, pesticides and antibiotics from getting into beef.

However, according to Animals Now, farms in the Israeli meat industry mix food with up to three kilograms (6.6 pounds) of poultry feces daily for beef calves. In the dairy industry, cows are fed feces for their first two years, the organization added.