Kagwe: Digital livestock IDs to open export markets
Kenya has launched the Animal Identification and Traceability (ANITRAC) programme to provide digital identities for livestock. This initiative aims to improve disease surveillance, curb theft, and meet international standards for premium meat exports.
Why it matters
Modernizing the livestock sector through digital traceability is a strategic move to increase Kenya's agricultural GDP and access high-value global markets.
Agriculture and Livestock Development CS Mutahi Kagwe has pitched the government's Animal Identification and Traceability (ANITRAC) programme as a game changer for Kenya's livestock sector.
Speaking during a livestock sensitisation and tagging exercise in Kurawa, Tana River County, Kagwe said ANITRAC is more than a livestock tagging programme, describing it as the foundation of a modern livestock economy that will enable Kenya to compete in high-value international markets.
The exercise follows the national rollout of the programme, which was launched in Nyeri last week.
The CS said every registered animal will receive a unique digital identity to enable traceability from the farm to the market.
International buyers, Kagwe said, are increasingly demanding proof of an animal's origin, movement history and health status before allowing meat and livestock products into premium markets.
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