Regulation does not mean destruction of businesses – Dr. Mohammed-Alfa
Dr. Musheibu Mohammed-Alfa, Head of Animal Products and Bio-safety Department of the Food and Drugs Authority, says regulation towards quality did not mean indiscriminate closure of businesses.
“Do not roam about with a big stick to kill industries,” he said.
Dr. Mohammed-Alfa, who spoke at a day’s stakeholder meeting on Animal Feed Quality Control, on Thursday in Accra assured livestock farmers, as well as animal feed producers that the state was appreciative of their contribution towards national development and would not hesitate to help whenever the need arose.
This, he said, would be in the areas of food production, employment and other equally important business ventures.
He said regulation towards ensuring quality products was to ensure the safety of the consuming public, adding that stakeholders thus had a strong responsibility of ensuring the safety of all products.
Mr. Bafour Asare-Mensah, Director, Animal Production of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, said “we should strive to operate within standards in order to ensure sanctity within the industry.”
He said with the human being as the consumer of animal products, “these standards are tuned in with public health.”
Mr. Asare-Mensah urged all stakeholders to put in their best, “to improve upon our feed quality which in turn would ensure safe animal food products for our consumers.”
Mr. Francis Hammond, Executive Secretary of the Greater Accra Poultry Farmers Association, urged poultry farmers to have authorized bodies, examine the food and water they fed their animals on.
“Poultry farming is purely scientific. Go a step further and test the food and water you feed your animals with scientifically,” he said.
The Meeting was attended by officials from the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Ghana Standards Authority, Food and Drugs Authority and the Poultry Farmers Association of Ghana.
Source: GNA