This Livestock Policy Framework is a sectoral document aiming at strengthening the COMESA role of coordination, harmonization, integration and support to countries with the aim of stimulating a more conducive environment for public and private investments in the livestock sector by (i) addressing the issues hindering the development of the livestock sectors of the COMESA Member States, whether from the standpoint of health, production, competitiveness, trade, or other constraints; (ii) facilitating and accelerating the progress of all Member States towards the overall goal of a fully integrated regional livestock value chain. With its implementation expected outcomes are (i) attract public and private investments along the different livestock values chains; (ii) enhance livestock production and animal health and, consequently, increasing of productivity and resilience of livestock production systems; (iii) stimulate innovation, generation and utilization of technologies, capacities and entrepreneurship skills of livestock value chain actors; (iv) facilitate access to markets, services, and value addition. Many interventions are identified for improving the production, mainly (i) the protecting of Animal Genetic Resources by encouraging the creation of breed societies, the establishment of breed registers (particularly for the endangered breeds), regulating the import and export of animals and semen to protect against the loss of local breeds, ensuring sustainable supply of affordable good quality breeding stock, controlling the indiscriminate cross-breeding of indigenous strains with the improved exotic breeds; (ii) the promotion of livestock productivity and competitiveness by encouraging farmers' investments through grants and incentives, restocking with breeds suited to the environment and genetic selection, enabling deep penetration into supply areas, strengthening marketing linkages between abattoirs and producer cooperatives and licensed traders, controlling major animal diseases, establishing an institution to secure and develop existing international markets and identify new opportunities; (iii) use of artificial insemination to help improve animal production, also through the application of biotechnology; (iv) improvement of access to livestock extension and health services through of improved institutional support and rural finance and marketing; (v) strengthening of the collaboration with neighboring countries and regional and international organizations for the control and eradication of transboundary animal diseases (TADs), zoonosis and other important diseases; (vi) the establishment, under Veterinary Authority control, a body responsible for the inspection, control of medicines importation of veterinary drug and efficacy tests. In the field of food and nutrition, the Policy focuses on the improvement of food safety through (i) the application of international SPS standards and guidelines; (ii) the development of animal welfare codes; (iii) the availability of quality feed additives and premixes for the improvement of livestock production, productivity, and assuring that treated and fed animals prove no harm for the consumers and protect them from unsafe, low quality, adulterated, misbranded or contaminated foods; (iv) provision of advanced slaughterhouses and cold chain facilities, development of processing infrastructure, and raising quality standards for identification and traceability system; (v) application of stringent food safety standards, including a residue testing plan, to meet export market requirements; (vi) monitoring programs for food-borne diseases and contaminants; (vii) education and training of veterinarians to play a central role in ensuring food safety. Environmental protection in the agricultural sector includes (i) the creation of a national NRM agency that regulates the use of natural resources on a sustainable basis; (ii) rainwater harvesting for a broad-based rural development; (iii) the promotion of forest reserves for a sustainably managed grazing, fuel production, and construction wood extraction. To enhance an inclusive social and economic growth, the document seeks to (i) facilitate access by emergent and smallholder livestock farmers to genetically superior breeding stock of all species; (ii) provide due recognition for community property rights reducing the risk of bio-piracy; (iii) provide access to essential production inputs (Land, Water and Feed) by investing in the growth of decentralized feed mills to foster the emergence of a livestock industry, support the provision of animal feed, put in place animal feed standards, and ensure compliance with animal feed standards; (iv) provide credit facilities to support livestock asset accumulation and development; (v) engage farmers and pastoralists in a more market-oriented livestock production and train them in livestock marketing, entrepreneurship and value addition; (vi) establish “Push-Pull” models, e.g. “Push” pastoralist households out of chronic poverty via improved and sustained livestock assets while linking livestock products supply to the value chains in productive areas, and establish ‘Pull’ activities by linking the aggregators and processors to source livestock from pastoralist producers and marketing groups; (vii) develop conflict mitigation measures to address conflicts over resources such as water and pastures; (viii) establish nomadic schools, health centers, clean water supply, and dams; (ix) mainstream gender and cross-cutting issues promoting women’s effective participation, contribution to and benefits from the economic, social, and political processes and ensure women’s equal access to economic recourses including land, credit, science, and technology.
2015-01-01