Five Livestock Acts to be amended

by Uditha Kumarasinghe

The Agriculture, Livestock and Lands Ministry has taken immediate steps to amend five existing Acts to immediately develop the livestock sector by removing a number of obstacles.

The five Acts to be amended by the Ministry are Animals Act No. 29 of 1958, Animal Diseases Act No.59 of 1992, Animal Food Act No.15 of 1986, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance No.13 of 1907 and Veterinary Surgeons and Professionals Act No.46 of 1956.

The Ministry also intends to introduce new laws on certain livestock sectors not covered by the five existing Acts. These Acts will be submitted for Cabinet approval shortly, a Ministry spokesman told the Daily News yesterday.

He said the Animal Diseases Act No.59 of 1992 was finally amended in 1992. Under this Act regulations were finally enacted in 1999. This Act facilitates to control and prevent animal diseases. The Act has also given legal provisions on animals and animal products, livestock medicines, livestock bioproducts and livestock imports. However, the provisions mentioned in this Act are insufficient to suit present day needs.

Therefore, the Ministry has formulated a new Animals Act to overcome this situation, he said.

The spokesman said the Animal Food Act No.15 of 1986 has outlined rules and regulations to certify and register animal foods, their sale and minimum standards of animal foods. Steps have to be taken to strengthen the legal framework in relation to violate these regulations.

Due to lack of provisions mentioned in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance No.13 of 1907, the Ministry has prepared a new ordinance and submitted it to Legal Draftsman Department. They have already approved it and sent to the Ministry.

Meanwhile, the veterinary surgeons and professionals Act No.46 of 1956 has not been amended after 1994. However, there is an urgent necessity to amend the subjects in relation to this Act, he said.