Quality Assurance for Animal Feed Takes Center Stage in Tanzania

Kilimokwanza.org Team

In a bid to maintain top-tier quality for animal feeds produced within Tanzania, Hon. Abdallah Ulega, the Minister for Livestock and Fisheries, has underscored the importance of feed manufacturers submitting their product samples to the Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency (TVLA). This initiative aims to ensure the feed meets quality standards before being made available to farmers within Tanzania or for export purposes.

This directive was announced by Minister Ulega during the opening of a workshop on protein production for livestock feed held in Dar es Salaam on September 29, 2023.

The Livestock and Fisheries ministry has shown significant commitment to this cause. They’ve passed a special law, “The Grazing Areas and Animal Feed Resources Act (Chapter No.180)”, backed by several guidelines and regulations. The essence of this legislation is to ensure that produced feeds meet quality and appropriate standards, thereby fostering optimum livestock, fish, and derived product production.

Minister Ulega elaborated on the ministry’s endeavors, “In addition to the mentioned legislation, we have the Tanzania Veterinary Laboratory Agency (TVLA) tasked with the responsibility of verifying and measuring the quality of raw materials used in animal feed production.”

“Thus, through this workshop, I earnestly urge all animal feed manufacturers in the country to ensure they submit their feed samples to TVLA for quality and standard checks, in line with the legal requirements, before selling to our farmers or exporting,” Ulega emphasized.

Furthermore, he tasked the TVLA with the responsibility of visiting feed raw material production sites, ensuring that they adhere to stipulated quality standards. This will improve efficiency and guarantee the safety of livestock feed.

Complementing this, Minister Ulega urged all livestock and fish farmers, and animal feed users to ensure they purchase feeds produced by officially recognized and registered factories under the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries jurisdiction. This practice will decrease the complaints of livestock stunted growth due to feeding on sub-standard products, which result in financial losses and occasional deaths of animals.

“By adhering to this procedure, the ministry can effectively track arising complaints since farmers will be certain of the feed’s origin,” clarified Minister Ulega.

On the other hand, Ambassador of the Netherlands to Tanzania, Hon. Wieber de Boer, remarked on the high costs of protein production for animal feed in Tanzania. He expressed the Netherlands’ readiness to collaborate with the Tanzanian Government to find alternative solutions to this challenge, aiming for a thriving livestock sector.

The Minister of Livestock and Fisheries, Hon. Abdallah Ulega, explaining a point to the Ambassador of the Netherlands to Tanzania, Hon. Wieber de Boer (left) when they met earlier today on the sidelines of a workshop on protein production for livestock feed and reducing competition held in Dar es Salaam on September 29, 2023. On the right is the CEO of SAGCOT Center, Mr. Geoffrey Kirenga.