Kreetika Kumar 
[Source: Ministry of Agriculture / Facebook]
The Ministry of Agriculture has commenced a comprehensive review of its outdated legislation to better align with current practices and challenges, following official endorsement late last year.
Appearing before a parliamentary standing committee, Ministry representatives confirmed that twenty-seven acts governing its operations are under review.
These include the Pesticides Registration Act of 1997, the Drainage Act, the Veterinary Surgeons Act, the Brands Act, the Dogs Act, the Pounds Act, and the Land Conservation and Improvement Act of 1953.
Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Agriculture and Waterways Dr Andrew Tukana says one of the key issues highlighted was the outdated nature of many legal provisions, which currently create loopholes.
“You know, most of those provisions in the Act are, you know, quite outdated. And some of them, you know, it’s quite outdated. And there’s so many loopholes that, you know, most of the stake-holders are trying to take advantage of at the moment so, one example is as I mentioned earlier, we are reviewing the Pounds Act.”
He adds that a technical working group has already been formed to lead the review process, which is expected to take five years.
The Permanent Secretary acknowledged that the current legal framework does not reflect the realities of modern agricultural practices and has left room for exploitation.
Dr Tukana stressed the importance of the review in ensuring a more responsive and secure agricultural system for Fiji.
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