FG’s Cattle Colony Proposal Alien To Us – OSG
The Oyo State government on Monday said it would not tolerate any form of cattle rearing that allows herds to roam around and infringe on other peoples’ rights, saying that the proposed cattle colony of the federal government was alien to the state.
The state Commissioner for Agriculture, Natural Resources and Rural Development, Mr. Oyewole Oyewumi, made the disclosure while speaking on the efforts of the government to nip the issue of farmers/herdsmen clashes being recorded in some parts of the country in the bud.
The government affirmed that what it knows and operates as a matter of policy till date for every form of cattle rearing and development is ranching.
The federal government at the weekend, said that work will commence next week on cattle colonies in states that have indicated interest to establish them.
He said, “Again, as a policy of the Oyo State Government today, we encouraged ranching over any other method of cattle production and development.
“We have heard talks about grazing reserves and recently about what they called cattle colonies. They sound very strange to us, especially the issue of cattle colonies and I think the idea is being muted by the federal government, so we await further explanations as to what cattle colony is.
“But the underlining thing for us as a state is that having our cattle in an enclosed area for control purposes is very critical to us. So if the cattle colonies envisage a situation where the colony consists of an enclosure, no matter how large, where the movement of cattle is controlled, we may look at it, but if it has to be an open area where cattle will be allowed to just walk around in a free range, I don’t think the Oyo State government will be able to accommodate that. That is our position and that is where we stand on the matter.”
