The Animal Feeds Bill has been introduced in Parliament, aiming to establish a legal framework for implementing the animal feeds policy.
This legislation intends to regulate the production, import, export, and labeling of animal feeds, while also creating the Animal Feeds Committee for oversight.
Presented by the Minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, the bill addresses the issue of inadequate animal nutrition, a factor limiting livestock production in Uganda. Animal feeds contribute significantly to production costs and overall profitability, making their regulation important.
The Animal Feeds Bill 2023 outlines provisions for premises registration, conditions for suspending or revoking registration certificates, and the establishment of animal feeds inspectors and analysts. These inspectors will have the authority to check premises and seize non-compliant animal feeds.
Additionally, the bill grants the Minister powers to create regulations, specifying procedures, forms, and fees for various aspects of animal feed production, storage, transportation, and sale.
The low livestock productivity in Uganda is attributed to factors such as animal diseases, inadequate nutrition, water scarcity in semi-arid regions, insufficient facilities for feed storage and processing, limited laboratory resources, and a lack of knowledge and skills in animal feed production.
The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, has referred the bill to the Committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries for further examination.
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