EU adopts a four-year strategy for animal welfare

In order to improve the welfare of animals in the European Union (EU) member states, a four-year strategy starting from 2012 to 2015 has been adopted.

The Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner at EU, Mr. John Dalli, affirmed that the new strategy would give room for appropriate flexibility to allow operators to attain the necessary welfare stands by different routes.

As gathered by the NaijaAgroNet, he said, "Optimizing policy coherence and market transparency in a comprehensive animal welfare legislative framework will minimize real or perceived tensions between welfare and economics."

The commissioner also noted that the strategy is cost-effective and economical in terms of welfare.

Highlighting one of the setbacks of the union, Dalli said there is lack of enforcement of EU legislation by Member State in a number of areas which is adversely affect animals in the EU.

Hence, the new strategy was adopted in the form of a commission communication to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee.

Another means to address the issue of low enforcement is the provision of two-pronged by the strategy: a proposal for a comprehensive animal welfare law and a reinforcement of current actions.

Reinforcement and the optimization of current commission actions was also proposed couple with enhancing tools that will boost Member State's Compliances with the legal requirement and boosting the already existing international co-operation on animal welfare.

'Yinka Awosanya

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AU to motivate African countries to increase budgetary allocation to agric

Fighting food security in Africa, African Union is set to motivate African countries to increase their national budgetary allocations to agriculture a minimum of 10 per cent, SierraExpressMedia reports.

This, the AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Mrs. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime said at a press conference about the issue of agriculture and food security in the context of the comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

The 10 per cent minimum requirement for agriculture budgetary allocation, NaijaAgroNet gathered is to ensure agricultural growth of 6 per cent.

Part of the efforts of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture as revealed by the commissioner includes coordination of multi-institutional support of the preparation of agricultural sector investment plans both at country and regional levels, this in order to for CAADP to reach its set goals.

Commissioner Tumusiime said that out of the 54 member states of the AU, only 30 have already yielded to the CAADP 10% strategic plan, and a number of them have surpassed the 10% requirement. This shows great commitment, she said. Read more

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Britain gives N12.337b grant to Zambia

Over the next three years, the Zambian government will receive a grant of GBP58 million, about N12.337 billion from the British government, reports LusakaTimes.

The grant as gathered by NaijaAgroNet was made available through the Department for International Development (DFID) of the British government for growth and poverty reduction in Zambia.

The Public Relations Officer of the Zambian Ministry of Finance and National Planning, Chileshe Kandeta affirmed that the grant would be delivered as general budget support to help the government in the fight against poverty.

“The money will ensure that an additional 54,000 rural people have access to safe water by 2014, keep an additional 50,000 children in school every year and provide an additional 42,000 households with access to electricity by 2015,” he said. Read more

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WorldBank, USAID, Gates work on new approach to feed 1bn globally

In effort to fight hunger and feed the hungry globally, the World Bank, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Gates Foundation are working on new approach, reports PolicyMic.

The new approach as gathered by NaijaAgroNet is to work on increased crop production in Africa through the deployment of high-yielding crop varieties, fertilizers and pesticides; an outlook based on the 1960s Green Revolution which averted famine in India and Latin America then.

With Sub-Saharan Africa as one of the main focus, the Green Revolution is of hegemony ideology over the agricultural development, having the notion that farmers' returns will automatically guarantee their food security.

The U.S. Ambassador to the UN Food and Agriculture Agency (FAO) in Rome, Ertharin Cousin said the project will bring companies to buy goods from smallholders in order for the deal to be beneficial to the smallholders. Read more

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