Pass ranching law---Peasant Farmers

Herdsmen and their cattle continue to wreak havoc on farmlands across the country, a reason government must urgently pass the Cattle Ranching Law, the Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana (PFAG), a local Non- Governmental Organisation, has said.

Mohammed Adam Nahsiru, National President, PFAG said: “There is no specific law both at the national and district level that regulates the activities of cattle-rearing in the country. We need to pass the ranching law as soon as possible”.

Mr. Nahsiru, at a media sensitisation meeting in Tamale, said the passage of a ranching law would compel the herdsmen to fence the ranches properly to prevent cattle from breaking through to destroy farm produce and properties.

“The law will also empower the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) to ensure that all ranches in the various districts are properly registered with the contact address of the herdsmen, taking account of the number of cattle in each ranch, the location of the ranch as well as allocating grazing land.”

Apart from protecting farms, he said regulating the sector will also protect the animals from dying after grazing on lands sprayed with chemicals.

In recent times, foreign cattle-herdsmen drive their herds through farming communities, causing damage to crops and properties -- and in some instances engage in violent clashes with locals.

The passage of the ranching law will ensure that areas used for breeding wild animals in captivity or semi-captivity are fenced.

It will also mean that animals won’t be subject to the restrictions established for hunting and are declared to be the property of the breeder. Ranchers will also be required to obtain a licence from local authorities for their business.

“Livestock -- Cattle, sheep and goat -- rearing and breeding are important contributors to food availability and income in rural communities. However, due to the benefit of rearing these animals, it is important for any applicable legal framework to take both concerns into account and strike a balance between the encouragement of these initiatives and conservation, security and local concerns.”

Government is currently drawing on lessons from Burkina Faso’s ranching law.

In Burkina Faso, Ghana’s northern neighbour, both game-ranching and breeding are subject to authorisation. Within ranches, wildlife populations are to be monitored either by the rancher or by the wildlife administration, with a view to rational management of captures.

A licence is also required in Cameroon for both game-ranches -- protected areas managed for the purpose of repopulation and possible exploitation for food or other purposes and for game-farming -- and raising of animals taken from the wild in a controlled environment for commercial purposes.

Stakeholders therefore believe that with the passage of legislation to govern livestock rearing and breeding, the unfettered activities of Fulani herdsmen and individual livestock owners will be well-regulated in the country.

By Samuel Sam | B&FT Online | Ghana