Agric minister orders cows to get birth certificates

“For cattle farmers,… You will be registered as a farmer, the cow will be registered, numbered and will have a birth certificate because the importers of our products demand meat for cows aged between 15 to 24 months. ,” government official told cow farmers.

The registration is part of requirements for food exportation to European countries.

“They want to know where the meat and crop products are coming from. They have been impounding and banning all consignments from Uganda if they find one box with issues.

“Farmers will be registered and their products, given barcodes so that if they find a problem with one box, they look for the source and sort out the problem. We cannot enter lucrative markets unless farmers register.

Vincent Ssempija, Ugandn agric minister said in statement during the week at the official opening of the National Agricultural Show in Jinja, Southern Uganda.

Ssempijja added that an audit team from the European Union, will visit Uganda in September, to ensure that all farmers producing commodities destined for Europe are registered.

“Apart from the traceability of the products, the team also wants to ensure that farmers benefit directly because many of them are cheated by middlemen. The government will not cater to those who defy the order when it comes to markets,” he said.