The new Kenya Veterinary Board that was gazetted by the government last week, has been urged to move with speed and weed out quacks in the subsector.
The Kenya Veterinary Paraprofessional Association (KVPA) said the number of quacks is on the rise and the board should deal with the problem.
The government gazetted the board and the Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD) last week.
KVPA national chairman John Ngigi said there has been an influx of quacks, leading to fears on the quality of livestock products.
Speaking in Naivasha, Ngigi said they will be working closely with the two agencies in weeding out quacks and registering certified ones.
“For two years, we did not have any regulatory body to either register or deal with the quacks but we hope the incoming board will deal with this,” he said on Tuesday.
Ngigi said the two departments would come in handy in dealing with the current challenges in the lucrative sector that employs thousands.
He said the harsh weather conditions coupled by high prices of livestock feed had adversely affected livestock production.
“The weather pattern has changed thus affecting forage leading to a rise in prices of livestock feed and we hope the government can waive tax on raw materials for livestock feed,” he said.
Earlier, head of animal feeds in the department Dr Stanley Mutua said demand for livestock feed stood at 55 million metric tonnes against a production of 22 million metric tonnes.
He said of the 55 million metric tonnes of livestock feed needed, the country could only produce 40 per cent, which has led to acute shortage despite rising demand.
Mutua said the government had identified five value chains of hay, sorghum, cotton, sunflower and silage as one way of filling the deficit.
“We have a 10-year strategy that requires Sh460 billion to fully address the acute shortage of feed and fodder for our livestock and end the perennial outcry from farmers,” he said.
