13 Jul 2023

The Botswana Meat Industry Regulatory Authority (MIRA) Bill, has been tabled before Parliament for the second reading.

Tabling the bill on Tuesday, Minister of Agriculture, Mr Fidelis Molao, said the bill sought to establish MIRA to liberalise the meat industry and to promote the competitiveness of the sector.

He said there was need to establish MIRA because “the livestock industry, specifically the beef industry, has over the years experienced a drastic shift from being one of the major contributors to the country’s Gross Development Product at independence to the current less than two per cent contribution.”

The reversal of the fortunes of the industry, he said, had manifested in the “declining national herd and low investment in the sector.”

He noted that the regulation of the livestock and meat sector had over the years been carried out by government through Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) and the Department of Veterinary Services.

For that reason, he said, the regulatory authority would help improve the poor performance of the beef sub-sector and end BMC’s monopoly that had been associated with inefficiencies which denied stakeholders the benefits associated with free market competition, including investments by both local and foreign investors.

The establishment of a regulatory authority for the meat industry, he said, was also meant to liberalise the country’s beef export market in response to the outcry by industry players.

He said the bill would help to promote the interests of the livestock and meat industry internationally, promote a vibrant, profitable, sustainable and competitive industry and excellerate innovation, research and stakeholder relations across the value chain “so that the livestock and meat sector is competitive and attractive for investment.”

The authority, he said, was intended to create a conducive business environment in the livestock and meat sectors, and to protect the interests of both farmers and consumers while attracting investment in the meat industry.

He added that the regulatory authority would not only regulate the beef sector, but also other meat sectors such as poultry and piggery.

Mr Molao also said although there were a number of legislative instruments governing activities in the livestock and meat sector such as the BMC Act, Hives and Skins Export Act, Livestock and Meat Industry Act and the Control of Livestock Industry Act, the bill sought to re-enact with amendments the Livestock and Meat Industries Act and the Control of Livestock Industry Act to strengthen the regulatory framework for the livestock and meat industry by establishing a regulatory authority.

The bill, which was tabled for first reading during the budget session, would regulate and control the sale of livestock, grading, packaging and marketing of livestock and meat products, the licensing of abattoirs and meat processors, the importation and the exportation of livestock and meat products.

Mr Molao said the bill would also regulate the imposition of levies in respect of livestock and meat products and promote research and innovation across the livestock and meat industry value chains as well as promote livestock and meat production and quality assurance programmes. ENDS