Because sharing is caring

Regulation

Introduction

The main regulatory body for animal health and livestock development activities is  the Department of Animal Health and livestock Development (DAHLD). However, it works hand-in-hand with other ministries and departments such Ministry of Health and Malawi Bureau of Standards.

DAHLD

Vision

Malawi becoming a nation that is self sufficient in safe locally produced livestock and livestock products

Mission

A sustainable livestock development to improve nutritional well-being of Malawians and improved rural livelihoods while guaranteeing the safety of the general public from consumption and utilization of livestock products and by products

Mandate

The Department is mandated to promote sustainable livestock development and protect the general public from zoonotic diseases through the delivery of animal production and veterinary services.

Sections

  • Animal health, regulatory and inspectorate services
  • Animal production and livestock development
  • Research and investigation
  • Planning

Animal health

This section is responsible for providing direction, assisting in budgeting for and supervising the following activities implemented by ADDs:
  • Vaccinations (rabies, ECF, NCD, ASF)
  • Treatment of sick animals
  • Animal health extension
  • Producing animal health technical messages for ADDs
  • Conducting animal disease surveillance

Animal production

This section is responsible for providing direction, assisting in budgeting for and supervising the following activities implemented by ADDs:
  • Training of farmers and field staff in improved animal husbandry practices
  • Promotion and strengthening of livestock farmer groups
  • Provision of animal husbandry extension service
  • producing animal husbandry technical messages for ADDs
  • Promotion of private sector participation in livestock farming
  • Maintenance of government livestock farms as a source of breeding stock as well as pasture seed.

Research and investigation

This section is responsible for carrying out research.It also investigates and diagnoses animal diseases.It is responsible for the operation of the regional laboratories as well as the referral Central Veterinary Laboratory. Specific responsibilities include:

  • Milk and milk products quality control
  • Animal feed quality control and toxicological services
  • Inspection of abattoirs, dairy plants and feed manufacturers
  • Management of animals under quarantine at government quarantine centres

Planning Section

This section is responsible for

  • Preparation of work plans and budget estimates for the Department.
  • Prepare project proposals
  • Monitor projects and activities being implemented by the Department

Functions of the Department

Following the Core Function Analysis (CFA) process the department has classified its functions into core, non-core and marginal functions as outlined in the table below


Category Core Non-Core Marginal
Regulatory services      
  • Animal movement control
 *    
  • Disease surveillance
 *    
  • Import and export certification
 *    
  • Provision of quarantine services
 *    
  • Formulation of veterinary legislation
 *    
  • Inspectorate services
 *    
Animal breeding (development) *    
Animal multiplication   *  
Disease diagnosis *    
Technical message development *    
Monitoring and evaluation of programmes *    
Immunization / vaccination (contagious) *    
Artificial insemination (production)      *
Artificial insemination (distribution)   *  
Animal treatment     *
Training of farmer trainers *    
Livestock marketing     *
Conservation of genetic pool *    
Disease Investigation and diagnosis *    
Supply of inputs      
  • Drugs and vaccines
   *  
  • Feeds
   *  
  • Feed ingredients
   *  
  • Livestock seed
     *
Conducting livestock estimates   *  
Livestock policy formulation and interpretation *    
Promotion of animal welfare *    
Sourcing animals   *  
Project proposal formulation *    
Planning *    
Staff training      *
Gender and HIV/AIDS mainstreaming   *  

Policy and legislation

In order to demonstrate by means of an appropriate legislation and policy that the Department has control of the application of animal health and production measures, the existing legislation and policy statements were reviewed and a new piece of legislation was also drafted. The need to develop a written policy for the Department of Animal Health and Livestock Development arose early 2004 after realizing that past policies were not properly documented. The policy review exercise started around March 2004 on the basis of the 2001 draft policy and the final policy document was ready in 2006.

The Control and Diseases of animals act, the Milk and Milk Products act, Meat and Meat products Act were reviewed and the draft amendments were filed by the Ministry of justice and Constitutional affairs. The amended regulations under the Meat and meat products act and Control and Diseases of Animals Act were gazetted in Government notices 39, 40, 41 and 36, 38, 42 respectively in the Malawi Gazetted supplement dated 3rd October, 2003.

The animal Identification and registration Bill which provides for permanent identification marks for livestock in Malawi was drafted in January 2004 and was submitted to the Ministry of Justice and constitutional affairs to further process it for enactment into law by parliament in February 2004. The drafting of the Bill was funded under the FAO Livestock identification and recording system technical cooperation Project.

Current livestock production activities

The department has a number of core function which include; Formulation of Policy, legislation and delivery of inspectorate services. Other core functions are Control of notifiable and Transboundary Animal Diseases, Control of animal movement and development of Technical message as well as production of breeding stock.

Dairy Production Improvement

The department has been importing improved pure dairy crosses with the aim of promoting dairy production by making milk and milk products available locally in the country. The dairy animals are currently being sold to farmers at a subsidized price. To date the department has imported more than 800 Pure Dairy animals.

Poultry Production (Black Australorp -BAs)

Currently Malawi is self sufficient in Poultry and poultry products. The department is currently producing BAs at its three hatcheries; Mikolongwe which feed the southern and eastern regions, Choma feeding the northern region and Bwemba feeding the Central Region.

Beef Production

Production of steers for oxy-nisation stall feeding programmes and is currently underway with the aim of providing animal power to smallholder farmers and promoting the availability of local and high grade beef in the country. Close to 40,000metric tones of beef is locally produced in the country per year.

Animal Health and Disease Control

Dipping

The department currently is implementing strategic dipping with an aim of reducing East Cost Fever which is transmitted by ticks. This is done through dip tanks located through out the country.

African Swine Fever

The disease is rampant and enzootic. The department is currently embarking on surveillance which includes early detection and early containment of the virus.

Rabies

The mandate of the department is to vaccinate all the dogs in the country. But with the currently low funding it is a big problem to vaccinate all dogs in the country. Currently there are about 600,000 Dogs in the country. To vaccinate all the 600,000 dogs, the department would require MK45Million as a vial of 10 doses is pegged at MK750.00.

Foot and Mount Disease (FMD).

This is one of the serious diseases facing the livestock with major outbreaks in the Lower Shire and Karonga. The department is currently vaccinating all the cattle against FMD in the major areas and also implementing routine vaccinations in Lengwe national park and dip tanks in Rumphi, Karonga and Chitipa.

Newcastle Disease

The disease kills about 60% of the chicken population every year in Malawi. The department is encouraging farmers through Chitopa associations, AEDOs and NGOs to vaccinate their chickens against Newcastle. The department encourages farmers to vaccinate their chickens with the locally produced thermo-tolerant I-2 vaccine at Central veterinary Laboratory.   

Future Plans For the Department

Dairy Production Improvement

The department plans to have the parent stock of the pure dairy breeds at Mikolongwe Farm for further multiplication to make them locally available to farmers.
Import about 50,000 Pure Dairy cattle.  

Poultry Production (Black Australorp -BAs)

The department plans to increase production of poultry and poultry products in the country with an aim of exporting the surplus. The department would like to increase smallholder farmers’ access to the BAs by increasing its production of six week old BAs to 500,000 per year.  

Beef Production

The department has a vision to reduce importation of high grade beef to zero by promoting feedlots in the country.

Animal health and Disease Control

Dipping : The department plans to empower the communities with dipping exercise as it would want to implement Community Based Dipping on cost recovery basis. The department would only place its veterinary assistants at dip tanks for technical services only.


African Swine Fever

  • Intensification of technical messages to farmers and double fenced kraals
  • Building of more quarantine stations
  • Intensification of animal patrols

Rabies

  • To work with other stakeholders like Ministry of Health and Local government in pulling resources of purchasing the rabies vaccine.
  • To work towards a cost recovery system in the administering the rabies vaccine. 

Foot and Mount Disease (FMD).

The department plans to get rid of FMD in Malawi through intensification of surveillance and patrols in the major outbreak areas.

Newcastle Disease

  • Promote use of newly registered locally produced Newcastle disease I-2 vaccine.
  • Increase production of I-2 vaccine at CVL to 14million doses per quearter.