Poultry farmers call for contingency fund to avoid compensation delays

The Ghana National Poultry Farmers Association is asking government to institute a special contingency fund for early payment of compensations to farmers affected by disease outbreaks.

Currently, over 70 per cent of poultry farmers in the country are out of business stemming mainly from the 2021 avian disease outbreak and the present ballooning feed cost.

In 2021, 159 farms in 10 out of the 16 regions of Ghana were infested with the avian influenza A subtype.

The disease outbreak affected the poultry industry as many of the farmers were forced to eject infested animals from their farms.

Poultry farmers in the country are being pushed out of business due to financial challenges to stay afloat.

Speaking at the 38th Annual General Meeting of the Ghana Veterinary Medical Association, the National Chairman of the Ghana Poultry Farmers Association, Victor Oppong Adjei, revealed most farmers are refusing to restock their farms.

“Most of the farmers aren’t breaking even.  As you continue to pile up debts, you just sell the birds and reluctantly restock the farm. I see this as very serious, scary and distressful because about 70 to 80 per cent of the farms are not operational. This is going to bring about unemployment,” he said.

A total of 17 million Ghana cedis was released by government to compensate the affected farmers.

But, poultry farms which were devastated by influenza in January 2022 are yet to be compensated.

The association wants the government to institute a contingency fund to avoid delays in compensation payments in future emergencies.

“It takes too long for the farmers to get their compensation. We understand the government is now making arrangements to pay farmers who were infested in January this year. But these farmers should be paid at an early stage so they can revive their businesses.

“I suggest that the government institutes a contingency fund so farmers can get their compensation within three months,” Victor Oppong Adjei said.

Currently, veterinary legislations in the livestock and poultry industries are outmoded, presenting difficulties in flushing out bad nuts from the industry.

A legal framework to resolve the pending challenges is underway.

However, the president of the Ghana Veterinary Medical Association, Dr Cyril Quist wants processes fast-tracked for implementation of the laws.

“Laws like diseases of animal health were enacted in the 1960s but the dynamics have changed. So we need to bring in laws that embrace the whole sector and the modern trends in livestock management.

“The Association has worked on the various drafts which are at the ministry level. We are urging the sector minister to push these laws so they can get cabinet approval. From there it can go to parliament and be enacted as laws to regulate the industry,” he said.

The 48th AGM of the Ghana Medical Veterinary Medical Association was held under the theme “Ghana’s poultry industry at the crossroads, the way forward”.

The meeting brought together stakeholders in both the veterinary and poultry industries to proffer pragmatic solutions to challenges confronting the sector.