Livestock farmers and pastoralists may receive stronger protection from a wider range of disasters if proposed changes to the Livestock Protection and Sustainability Bill, 2024, are adopted by Parliament.
The Senate Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Committee wants the proposed law changed to deal with risks beyond drought, including floods, disease outbreaks, pest invasions and other disasters that can affect animals and threaten the livelihoods of farmers.
The committee made the proposals in a report tabled in the Senate, raising concerns that the Bill has placed too much attention on drought-related measures while giving less attention to other threats facing the livestock sector.
The Bill is sponsored by Samburu Senator Lelegwe Ltumbesi.
The committee, chaired by Bungoma Senator Wafula Wakoli, said the proposed legislation needs a wider approach to ensure farmers and pastoralists are not left without support when disasters other than drought strike.
“The Bill defines ‘livestock’ broadly to include cattle, camels, donkeys,pigs, sheep, goats and poultry,” the committee said.
“However, despite this inclusive definition, the focus is almost exclusively on drought-related interventions such as feed reserves and fodder banks.”
The senators said the wide definition of livestock should be matched by equally broad measures to deal with the different dangers that can affect the animals.
“The committee observed that the Bill places disproportionate emphasis on drought as the primary threat to livestock, while failing to adequately address other major risks,” the report says.
The committee warned that a law centred mainly on drought could leave farmers exposed as other climate-related emergencies and livestock threats continue to emerge.
It wants the national and county governments to put in place early-warning alerts to help authorities and livestock keepers identify possible disasters and prepare for them.
The committee has also called for emergency livestock offtake programmes and better arrangements for securing water and feed when disasters affect grazing areas and livestock production.
It recommended that the Bill be amended to create a wider livestock disaster management framework that can respond to several types of hazards.
The proposed framework would cover risks such as “floods, pest invasions, and disease outbreaks”, which the committee says could continue to expose farmers if they are not properly addressed in the law.
The committee has also proposed giving the Agriculture Cabinet Secretary a central role in putting the new disaster measures into effect.
The CS would be required to establish national livestock disaster policies and oversee the proposed National Livestock Feeds Reserve.
The Agriculture CS would also be responsible for coordinating early livestock offtake measures and developing national standards for pasture management and water security.
The committee further wants livestock risk information brought into national early-warning systems so that information on possible threats can be used to support timely action.
As part of the proposed changes, the committee wants a Livestock Risk Data Management System established.
The system would collect and track information on the availability of animal feed, the state of pastures and water resources, as well as disease outbreaks and pest invasions.
It would also monitor floods, droughts and changes in the livestock market.
The committee said having such information in one system would help authorities keep track of the different risks affecting livestock and improve the country's ability to respond to disasters.
The proposals are aimed at making the Livestock Protection and Sustainability Bill more comprehensive by addressing the range of disasters that can affect cattle, camels, donkeys, pigs, sheep, goats and poultry rather than concentrating mainly on drought.