AMA to impound cattle roaming city

The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has sounded a word of caution to cattle farmers within the metropolis to keep their animals under leash or face the full rigours of the law.

According to the Director of Finance of the AMA, Mr Samuel Aryee, the assembly was henceforth going to impound cattle  found roaming on the streets, with their owners being prosecuted.

 “Nobody wants to spoil anybody’s business. So as much as you allow the cattle to walk on the streets, you are destroying the work of the chief executive; you are destroying the work of the AMA and the capabilities of the officers are put to question. We don’t want you to undermine them. We are pleading with you to respect the laws,” he said.

Cattle meeting

Mr Aryee was speaking on behalf of the Chief Executive of the AMA, Mr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuije, during a meeting with cattle farmers in the metropolis to discuss improved ways of cattle rearing.

It was also to discuss the various ways to feed the cattle to get maximum yield and know about the health needs of the animals and how to manage them.

Mr Aryee urged owners of roaming cattle to confine them, while making sure that they had permit to rear the animals and  also vaccinate the cattle from time to time against diseases.

“Under no circumstances, per the byelaws of the assembly, should anyone rear any animal without seeking permission from the assembly. And even if you get the permit, the animals that you are going to rear should not be a nuisance to neighbours and the community at large,” he added.

Train us

However, in a sharp response to the warning from the assembly, a cattle farmer at Kotobabi, Mr Bashiru Jawal Baba Ruka, suggested to the assembly to rather find ways of implementing the law without impounding the animals or prosecuting their owners.

He said most often, the cattle that roamed the streets did so in search of food and as such it was better for the assembly to outline routes that they could use.

In addition, he said, one of the challenges facing the farmers was access to veterinary officers from the assembly.

Mr Ruka, therefore, suggested that the farmers be given some basic training in animal health, so that they could take care of their animals during emergencies.

Vaccination

The Deputy Director of Veterinary Services of the AMA and the La Dade-Kotopon Municipal Assembly (LaDMA), Dr Kwadwo Obeng-Wiredu, discussing the operations of the service this year, said it would, between June and September, begin the vaccination of cattle against diseases such as contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP), an infectious disease of lungs in cattle.

That, he said, was because the disease was more rampant during the rainy season, as it was quite sensitive to dryness and heat.

He, therefore, urged the farmers to avail their cattle for vaccination at a subsidised fee in order to eradicate the disease from the metropolis.