Ugandan parliament passes the Animal Feed Bill 2023

UGANDA – The Ugandan parliament has passed the Animal Feeds Bill, 2023 creating a committee to regulate the production, storage, importation, exportation, and marketing of animal feeds

The celebrated milestone was reached during a plenary sitting on Tuesday, February 20, 2024, chaired by Speaker Anita Among.

The bill was tabled in parliament, in October last year, seeking to provide a legislative framework for the operationalization of the animal feed policy in a bid to boost the local feed capacity.

Following the passing of the bill, a person seeking to engage in the production, storage and sale of animal feeds will apply for a license which shall be considered within three months.

A similar arrangement is prescribed for anyone seeking a permit for premises to be used for the storage, sale and production of the feeds.

“The secretary to the committee shall, in collaboration with local governments, ensure that animal feeds are produced, stored or sold in safe and fit premises as prescribed in the second schedule,” reads the Bill.

Speaking during the sitting, Bright Rwamirama, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries highlighted that the new law will promote the animal industry, adding that inadequate animal nutrition has been one of the factors limiting Uganda’s production of livestock products.

“Animal feeds account for 70 per cent of the production costs. Therefore, they have a significant effect on production costs and profits. The level of nutrition influences the infection rates and disease resistance in animals and the low level of nutrition is, therefore, part of the reason for the low livestock and poultry performance in Uganda,” Rwamirama said.

On his part, Kimaanya-Kabonera Division MP, Abed Bwanika, vouched for the committee created by the Bill and justified the provision requiring the committee to issue exports and import licences within 10 days, from the date of application as the best practice.

He said that the legislation is critical not only to animals but to humans who consume animal products.

“Animal products end in humans, if the animal consumes feeds with aflatoxins, you can be sure they will enter your body when you consume milk. As we process this Bill, let us not think only about animals but humans as well,” said Bwanika. 

Sanitation certificate

The new proposed law will additionally require exporters to obtain a sanitation certificate which will be approved by the committee.

The Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, advised that sanitation of animal feeds should be expressly enforced, saying any contamination will affect animal products’ exports from Uganda.

“If you export bad animal feeds, it means your animals are eating bad feeds, this will eventually stop our animal products in other markets. Sanitation is extremely important for us to export quality feeds,” Kiwanuka said.

The new law guards against the contamination of animal feeds by prohibiting the use of contaminants and providing safety measures for the transportation of the feeds.

 It will be at the discretion of the minister to provide guidelines regarding transportation, following the removal of licensing transportation from the Bill.

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