Next time you dig into your nyama choma, omelette, or sip your tea with milk, spare a thought for the animals that produced them.
They are kept in the most inhumane of conditions, experts said yesterday.
Agriculture PS Andrew Tuimur said the growing human population and advancements in technology, industry, economy and infrastructure has led to competition of resources.
This has forced people to adopt intensive farming known as factory farming.
“The factory farms hold large number of animals, typically cows, pigs, turkeys or chicken, often indoors, typically at high densities,” he said.
The animals are raised for food.
Tuimur said efficiency has tramped animal welfare.
In the US, for instance, over 99 percent of farm animals are raised in factory farms, a booming business that focuses on profit and efficiency while disregarding animal welfare.
Animal welfare experts say this is wrong.
Tuimur said the aim of factory farming is to produce large qualities of meat, eggs and milk at the lowest cost, which has a negative impact on animal welfare, people and environment.
He made the remarks on Tuesday in a speech read on his behalf by the acting director of veterinary services Dulu Daido during the closing ceremony of the Africa Animal Welfare Conference at the UN complex in Gigiri.
The conference was organised by the Africa Network for Animal Welfare. It sought to explore the nexus between animal welfare, environment and development.
Tuimur said animals forms an integral part of our environment and if their welfare is ignored, habitat and biodiversity will be affected.
Livestock farming contributes to 12 per cent of GDP and 40 per cent of agriculture GDP.
The sector employs about 50 per cent of the national agriculture workforce and about 90 per cent of ASAL workforce. Ninety five percent of ASAL household’s income comes from the sector.
“Nutrients recycling that offers sustainable support to plants and animals lives have been greatly interfered with through destruction of natural environment by mankind,” he said.
The welfare of dogs, donkeys and other animals was also discussed at the conference.