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Regional News of Tuesday, 27 July 2021

Source: www.mynigeria.com

Delta state: Herdsmen reject 5,000sqm grazing land, demand 30,000 sqm for each local govt

Herdsman and his cattle Herdsman and his cattle

The Cattle Dealers Association in Delta State has rejected the 5,000 sqm of grazing land allocated in a new bill by the state lawmakers.

They are however demanding at least 30,000 square meters of land in each local government area for livestock breeding and marketing across the state.

This was made known on Monday, July 26, during a public hearing on ‘A Bill for a Law to provide for the Regulation of Livestock Breeding, Rearing and Marketing and to Prohibit Open Grazing and related matters in Delta State’.

According to the chairman of the Cattle Dealers Association, Alhaji Musa Shuwa, the 5,000 square metres provided for grazing their cattle was insufficient.

He explained further, “This (5,000 square metres) is only for the markets. Also, each market takes delivery of not less than 800 cattle every week. Our members hardly sell all their cattle at the market, hence the need to feed the cattle by grazing.

“With the intention of the draft of this bill being to ban open grazing, it is our respectful view that to have cattle within enclosed grazing (for the purpose of ranching) area would mean that a large space of area is needed for this purpose.

“While we acknowledge that the 5,000 square metres mentioned in Section 8(2a) is only the minimum, it is our modest view that even in the minimum, 5,000 square metres of land may not be the best starting point.”