KUALA LUMPUR - Dewan Rakyat today passed the Animal Feed Bill 2008 which among others facilitates the setting up of the Animal Feed Board.
Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Datuk Noh Omar, when winding up the debate on the Bill, said the Animal Feed Board would supervise the quality of animal feed and supplements through import, production, sale and consumption controls.
The aim was to ensure animal feed fulfils nutrient needs and is not contaminated so that the animals and its products are safe for human consumption and for other purposes, he said.
On the 14-year delay in tabling the Bill, he said the government had to consider its readiness as well as that of the industry in terms of the need for capacity development and to ensure effective implementation and enforcement.
"Besides, careful studies were also needed so that its implementation is in line and does not overlap other laws such as the Poison Act 1952 and Food Act 1983 so that all the laws complement each other in accordance with the food safety concept from farm to table," he said.
Efforts to draft the bill on animal feed began in 1995 but it was only tabled in Parliament this year.
Touching on the issue of usage including the use of drugs and chemicals in animal feed, Noh said that with the Bill, all farms would be required to undergo inspection so that the misuse of prohibited drugs and chemicals could be detected.
Among banned chemicals often found in animal feed are Beta Agonist, Dioxin, Nitrofuran, Chloramphenicol and Flouroquinolone.
The regulations to be drawn up under the Act would also take into consideration halal requirements, Noh said. This would be enforced through labelling so that buyers would have options, he added.
To enhance monitoring and implementation, he said, a "traceability system" would be introduced.
A database would also be developed to keep all information in each chain of production such as the import of raw materials, manufacturing, storage, marketing and use, he said.
Through this approach, the source of any issue in the chain of production that arises could be traced, he said.
