According to TheFinancialExpress, the bill was passed in the wake of a self-imposed ban by the Bangladeshi Shrimp Exporters to the European Union (EU) due to a harmful anti-biotic agent.
Shrimp is one of the country's major export items. The new bill, if turned into law, will guarantee safer standards for fish and animal feeds that will ultimately contribute to people's health.
Fisheries and Livestock Minister Abdul Latif Biswas proposed the bill, which parliament passed by voice vote, amid absence of the main opposition BNP and its allies. The House rejected some proposed amendments made by the only independent MP Fazlul Azim.
The minister tabled the bill on 5 October last year.
"On Monday, a team of the EU came to inquire what measures we took to check chemical presence in shrimp," Mr Biswas said as he proposed the draft law.
According to the bill, the government will set quality standards of animal feed, which producers and traders must follow.
The bill says all businessmen involved in the production, import, marketing and sale of fish or animal feed will have to take licence either from the office of the director general of the department of fisheries or from the director general of the livestock department respectively.
Anyone violating the law or rules framed under this law would stand trial.
"We cannot maintain the safety standard of fish and animal feed due to absence of law on this," Biswas said while justifying the bill.
New Law Bans Harmful Feed Ingredients
BANGLADESH - Parliament passed a bill earlier this week prohibiting the use of antibiotics, growth hormones, steroid and harmful pesticides in animal and fish feeds.
