After massive pressure from dairy farmers and media, the Kenya Dairy Board has been forced to suspend the proposal of milk regulations.
In a statement to the press, the board said that it has noticed that there were some comments that were misinterpreted by the media regarding the new regulations and intentions that were to be put in place.
According to the press statement, The Kenya Dairy Board informed stakeholders that the regulations touching on processing had been suspended to provide time for consultations with the public.
The regulations, described as offensive by a section of industry players, civil society
“No person shall operate as a producer unless the person holds a licence issued by the Board,” reads a section of the proposed regulations.
Currently, farmers sell their milk in raw form to supplement their earnings, creating employment for distributors.
Milk processors also decried that the draft regulations were aimed at increasing the cost of production.
Kenya Dairy Processors Association (KDPA) Chair Nixon Sigey protested that the dairy industry would become uncompetitive.
He disclosed that KDPA was working on expanding the market to other countries in the region and that high cost of production, which might result from the draft regulations, will hamper the move.
“We want to protect Kenyans from the high cost of milk as well as ensure that our products can access the international market at competitive rates,” he explained.