After a 10-day official grace period designed to give livestock owners sufficient time to secure their free-roaming animals, the Ministry of Agriculture has formally rolled out full enforcement measures to impound stray cattle, horses, donkeys and other unconfined farm animals across the region. The 10-day notification window, which was issued to all registered and known livestock keepers, expired on November 8, clearing the way for official action starting the week following the pre-Cabinet press briefing held on Monday.
Agriculture Minister Lisa Jawahir emphasized during the press briefing that the government had engaged in months of dialogue with farming communities to address the long-running stray livestock issue, and that further delays were no longer feasible. “We have been having this conversation for months, and we cannot talk any longer,” Jawahir stated, noting that the ministry had already extended targeted support earlier this year, including assisting a subset of farmers with relocating their cattle to designated, secure holdings to prevent them from wandering into populated or high-traffic zones.
The enforcement push comes in direct response to a surge in public complaints over unconfined livestock, most notably repeated incidents of stray cattle wandering onto the multi-lane Choc area highway, where they have been involved in multiple dangerous vehicle collisions that put motorists, passengers and bystanders at severe risk. Jawahir stressed that public safety has become the non-negotiable top priority for the policy, as unaddressed stray animals pose an imminent threat of fatal incidents. “We don’t want any disaster. We don’t want anybody to lose their life, not a family member of mine, not a family member of yours,” she added.
Moving forward, ministry teams operating in coordination with local law enforcement authorities will patrol high-risk areas including major highways, residential neighborhoods and public spaces to seize any livestock found wandering outside of designated private holdings. Owners seeking to reclaim their impounded animals will be required to provide verifiable proof that they have adequate, appropriate housing and the capacity to provide consistent, proper care for their livestock. Individuals who cannot demonstrate they meet these mandatory care and containment standards will not be permitted to retrieve their animals. Per existing provisions of the national Animals Act, any unclaimed livestock or animals whose owners fail to meet the containment and care requirements may be legally auctioned off or otherwise properly disposed of by the ministry.
Minister Jawahir clarified that the enforcement initiative is not intended to penalize or alienate local farming communities, but to resolve a growing public safety crisis that can no longer be overlooked. “We are not in the business of trying to fight farmers, but we have come to a place where this is a security crisis, and the government has to take the necessary action,” she confirmed, pointing out that the longstanding Animals Act already explicitly holds all livestock owners legally responsible for keeping their animals secured and under full, responsible control at all times.
Grace period ends, stray livestock to be impounded
