This archive report was first published on 15 November 2019.
Kenyan poultry farmers and traders are sounding the alarm over the growing influx of imported chicken products from the United States and Brazil.
The US Trade Mission in Nairobi last week has raised fears that the country's duty and quota-free window for exporting goods to the US under the Africa Growth Opportunity Act will be exploited, killing small-scale poultry farming.
Animal Feed Manufacturers, Kenya Poultry Farmers Association, and Kenya Poultry Breeders have written to the government seeking intervention to protect their interests.
According to Livestock Principal Secretary Harry Kimtai, a team from the Veterinary Department is currently in the US conducting a risk analysis of the poultry market.
Kimtai revealed that poultry products from the US have been entering the Kenyan market through Zanzibar, with some products allegedly originating from the island nation.
On November 15, 2019, Agriculture CS Mwangi Kiunjuri told a parliament committee that his ministry would release a report on food safety in two weeks after a team from the US finalizes its work.
Kiunjuri urged MPs to change the laws to allow the Agriculture ministry to establish its own agency – the National Food Safety Authority – to monitor the quality of food in the market.
