Livestock Marketing Agency Bill enacted

Members of the National Assembly, on Thursday 20th November 2008, enacted a bill entitled the Gambia Livestock Marketing Agency.

This was done during the extraordinary meeting held at the National Assembly House in Banjul.  The enacted bill is meant to provide for the establishment of the Gambia Livestock Marketing Agency which will promote commercialization and marketing of livestock in The Gambia and to also facilitate the participation of Gambians in livestock marketing.

Honorable Ousman Jammeh, SoS for Energy, presented the Bill before members of the National Assembly on behalf of the SoS for Agriculture, President Yahya Jammeh.
SoS Ousman Jammeh informed the august gathering of law makers that the livestock marketing agency will ensure that farmers get maximum benefit from their livestock by reducing the role of usscruplous middle men and dealers. 

Through the envisaged price mechanism, the agency will safeguard the interest of both the producer and consumer and also contribute to the regulation uf the price of meat.

The drafted bill has taken cognizance of the existence of the food Act 2005 and the Animal Disease Control Act. Speaker Fatoumata Jahumpa-Ceesay described the bill as timely considering the current trends in the livestock sector.