Businesses selling fake animal feeds across the country risk closure if a new proposal fronted by the Kenya Veterinary Association (KVA) is adopted.
The Association on Monday, April, 1 called upon the government to expand the ongoing fake fertiliser crackdown on those selling substandard animal feeds.
According to Doctor Kelvin Osore, who is vying for KVA's Chairperson, the proliferation of fake animal feeds within the market was a worrying development that needs to be addressed promptly.
"In the animal resources industry, we have a lot of fake animal feeds circulating the market and farmers are bearing the brunt. We also have a lot of fake semen. Farmers can hardly differentiate between the premium products and the counterfeit ones in the market," he remarked.
The association emphasised that the crackdown on fake fertiliser and seeds was necessary to protect the farmers and the quality of food in the country.
Additionally, they noted that extending the crackdown on fake animal feeds was also aligned with the larger goal of ensuring food security through the manufacturing of high-quality agriculture inputs.
Further, the association has lauded the government for the ongoing fake fertiliser crackdown which has saved thousands of farmers from purchasing fake farm inputs.
"As a country, we are grappling with food insecurity, we are importing a lot of our maize, rice and other cereals and so for some characters to sit down and sell sand to farmers is the height of economic sabotage,' Osore stated.
Besides the expansion of the crackdown, the government was asked to empower the Kenya Veterinary Board (KVD) and the Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD) to enforce the law on fake products.
However, Osore reiterated that as the crackdown is being conducted, no one should be harassed or manhandled.
"The crackdown is long overdue, as veterinary experts we acknowledge that we have had a misuse of veterinary drugs in the country," he stated.
Since the crackdown on fake fertiliser was initiated, several businesses have been shut down and several people arrested for selling counterfeit products.
At the same time, the government is also conducting a crackdown on illicit brew.
