Gujarat Assembly passes Livestock Feed Regulation Bill; licence mandatory, strict penalties for adulteration

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Legislative Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed the Gujarat Livestock Feed, Poultry Feed and Mineral Mixture (Regulation of Production, Storage, Distribution, Sale and Quality Control) Bill-2026, aimed at ensuring the quality of animal feed and protecting livestock health and farmers’ interests.

The Bill introduces several stringent provisions to bring transparency and ensure quality in the livestock feed business.

– It will now be mandatory to obtain a licence for the production, storage and sale of livestock feed, poultry feed and mineral mixtures.

– Every manufacturer will be required to comply with the standards prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

– Samples of livestock feed will be periodically analysed and tested.

– Regulations for packaging and labelling have also been prescribed to prevent misleading advertisements and deceptive branding.

The Bill provides for the following penalties and punishments:

– Manufacturing substandard feed: Fine of up to Rs. 5 lakh and suspension of licence for up to one year.

– Misleading branding: Fine of up to Rs. 5 lakh and suspension of licence for up to three years.

– Adulterated feed (if no death occurs): Immediate cancellation of licence, imprisonment for one year and a fine of up to Rs. 5 lakh.

– Death of an animal due to adulterated feed: Cancellation of licence, imprisonment for seven to 10 years and a fine of up to Rs. 10 lakh.

Vaghani said the legislation follows the World Health Organization’s “One Health” approach and is intended to protect livestock farmers and genuine manufacturers while taking strict action against those compromising feed quality.

The minister said the licensing process would be online and faceless to reduce unnecessary difficulties for industry stakeholders. Farmers preparing feed for their own livestock and feed produced for research purposes will remain exempt from the law.

The government said the legislation is aimed at improving livestock health and milk productivity, with Gujarat having more than 106 lakh buffaloes and 96 lakh cows, besides large sheep, goat and poultry populations. DeshGujarat