Anambra To Establish Ranches As State Assembly Passes Bill Prohibiting Open Grazing

Anambra State House of Assembly has passed a bill prohibiting cattle and other livestock grazing in the state.

The bill also mandated the state to set up ranches.

The bill provides that a person or group of persons shall not, after the commencement of the law, engage in open nomadic livestock herding or grazing in any part of the state whether day or night outside the permitted ranches.

It also provides that any person or group of persons, who contravenes provisions of the bill commits an offence and shall, on summary conviction, be liable to two years’ imprisonment or two hundred and fifty thousand naira fine or both.

Where such contraventions cause damage to farm crops or property of any person, the owner or manager of such livestock shall after evaluation of the damage by the management committee, pay the current monetary value of the farm crops or property damaged to the owner.

The bill outlined procedure for establishment of a ranch, ownership of ranch by indigenes, status and revocation of lease and ranching permit.

It also provides for establishment of livestock special task force, establishment and membership of the local government advisory committee among others.

Speaker of the House, Right Honourable Uche Okafor, commended the house for painstakingly passing the bill, after which he read out the bill for passage.

The lawmakers passed the bill through a voice vote.

Speaking on the anti-open grazing bill, the member representing Oyi Constituency, Honourable Charles Obimma, noted that the bill is not intended to witchunt anybody but to arrest open grazing and promote modern ways of ranching in Anambra State.