Corpun file 1712 at www.corpun.com
The Monitor, Kampala, 17 July 1997
Owners of 'sick' animals to be whipped
By Isaac Mufumba in Jinja
(extract)
The Vice-President and Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Dr Specioza Wandira Kazibwe has warned that all people in the country who will be found in possession of unimmunised animals after August 6, which has been declared the national immunisation day against rinderpest and CBPP, are to be caned.
Kazibwe who was representing President Yoweri Museveni, made the remarks on Wednesday July 16, during the official opening of the National Agricultural Show which is running at the Source of the Nile in Jinja.
Kazibwe revealed that though most people take it for granted that there are no laws providing for such punishments, the laws and Acts are very much in place and that the Police are by law allowed to arrest and prosecute any animal owner who does not spray his animals to protect them against pests like ticks.
"If the animals are not immunised Kiboko will follow. Tunakolaki munnange? We know that it is your freedom to move around with unsprayed or unimmunised animals, but freedom goes with responsibility," she said.
She said that the decision to punish errant animal owners was reached after the ministry realised that Ugandans are rearing more of worms, subjecting Ugandans to contaminated meat and fish while all the clean and supposedly good fish and meat are reserved for export purposes.
She revealed that after the immunisation of animals against CBPP and rinderpest, the Ministry of Agriculture will later launch a campaign against Tsetse flies and ticks.
