The Department of Agriculture, Land Reform, and Rural Development invites members of the public, relevant industry stakeholders, farmers, academics and all other relevant stakeholders to participate in the Public Consultation Workshops on Feeds and Pet Food Bill as well as Fertilizer Bill.
Animal feeds and fertilisers in South Africa are regulated in terms of the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act, 1947 (Act No. 36 of 1947).
Departmental spokesman Reggie Ngcobo said that since 1947, there have been significant changes in animal feeds, fertilisers and the manner in which they are processed.
These changes have resulted in consideration for review of the regulatory framework in order to put more emphasis on food and environmental safety as well as reducing regulatory burden.
The department has drafted legislation that is intended to replace parts of the Fertilizers, Farm Feeds, Agricultural Remedies and Stock Remedies Act, 1947 (Act No. 36 of 1947) as it relates to the regulation of animal feeds and fertilisers and would like to consult with stakeholders on the draft Bills.
Major changes proposed in the Bills are licensing of facilities that manufacture fertilisers, animal feed, and pet food, moving away from the current model of pre-approval of all animal feed products before putting them on the market.
Ngcobo said another change is that feed manufactured on commercial farms will now be regulated, resulting in some farms being required to register their manufacturing facilities.
“The department is mandated to undertake workshops with the animal feed, pet food, animal by-product sterilising and fertiliser industries as well as commercial and smallholder farmers who make their own feeds or fertilisers to explain the changes in the regulatory framework of animal feeds and fertilisers.
“The views gathered from these workshops will be used to improve the draft Bills and in the development of regulations,” he said.
The workshops listed below are a build-up to the public consultations workshops already conducted in Limpopo, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Northern Cape, recently.
