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Draft Meat Safety Act

(Ms) T. Didiza, Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development invites all interested institutions, organizations and individuals to submit written comments on the proposed update to Schedule 1, as provided for in section 1(2) of the Meat Safety Act, 2000 (Act No 40 of 2000), extending the list of animals to which the Act applies.

43218 participants had a say (now closed)

DearSA Meat Safety Act
DEAR-SOUTH-AfFRICA

This draft amendment extends the list classifying animals for slaughter, consumption, import, export and sale to include many threatened species in South Africa including rhino, elephant, giraffe and more. It also includes undefined birds, reptiles and fish.

Have your say – shape this policy.

    Do you support this draft amendment to the Meat Safety Act (extended list of animals)?

    [campaign closed]

    Important to note; This is a legally mandated public policy-shaping process. By using DearSA’s platform you ensure an accurate record is held by civil society (so government cannot dispute participation facts or figures) which forms a solid foundation for a legal case should the necessity arise. It is not a petition. Your input must, by law, be individually acknowledged and considered by government.

    IN THE MEDIA

    In February of this year, the Minister of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, Thoko Didiza, proposed an amendment to the Meat Safety Act to include a number of wild animals, including lions, rhinos and elephants.

    The Meat Safety Act tries to ensure that meat is safe for consumption via establishing the national standards for abattoirs and regulating the meat trade industry. By including wild animals in the Meat Safety Act, then, the South African government is sanctioning the commercialisation of bushmeat.

    The groundwork for the possible large-scale farming of wild animals was laid last year, when the then Minister of Agriculture, Senzani Zokwana, amended the Animal Improvement Act, which saw 33 wild species reclassified as livestock.

    In light of the current pandemic, these pieces of legislation should concern us all. The link between wildlife and zoonotic diseases is well documented, but a short recap is merited. [read more]

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