July 9, 2010

Uganda's government warns on beef quality

The government of Uganda has warned the local beef industry that their licences will be revoked if they fail to maintain high hygiene standards.

Bright Rwamirama, livestock industry state minister, said the country had not fetched high returns on the profitable beef trade due to poor hygiene limiting exports.

"We have the potential to export," he said while commissioning a UGX600-million (US$265,463) abattoir at Nakaseke trading centre and a livestock market early this week.

The facilities were constructed by Ndora Limited at Ngoma in Nakaseke district.

"What we want to emphasise is that high hygiene standards be maintained because this negligence has cost us a lot," he added.

The two commissioned investments are part of the National Livestock Productivity Improvement Project, which aims at increasing household incomes through increased livestock productivity. This is done by increasing animal stocks in rural households as well as livestock redistribution in the cattle corridor.

Co-run by the government and the African Development Bank, the programme aims at improving water supply for livestock in the dry season and improving marketing for livestock and livestock products. The minister said the government had rolled out a vaccination plan, to ensure livestock raised are disease-free, noting that infrastructure in cattle corridors would be revamped to ease market access.

Over the years, the country, due to low sanitation standards has lost trade opportunities to make quick cash in the existing markets through the exportation of livestock and livestock products.

In 2007, bilateral trade negotiations between Uganda and Kenya on Uganda's beef and poultry exports stalled following Kenya's failure to present a report on the full risk assessment on the product's hygiene. Kenya had imposed a ban on the products saying they did not meet the international health safety principles and would only import if high cleanliness upheld.

But despite the low income generated in a sector with the capacity to spawn revenue for the economy through exports because of the improving cattle keeping practices along the cattle corridor covering Ankole and Masaka regions there is hope that the industry would gain momentum and effectively compete.

Last year, the government started the formulation of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Policy (SPS), spelling out sanitation values that sector dealers should adhere to.

The policy, presently awaiting cabinet approval, is projected to come into implementation later this year, according to Ministry of Trade sources.