The Livestock and Meat Advisory Council (LMAC) is proud to be the apex organisation for livestock production in Zimbabwe. It is the voice of livestock farmers in Zimbabwe’s proudly sufficient meat industry. LMAC occupies an important place on the national production landscape, alongside its parallel entities in commerce and industry, the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries and Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce.
LMAC entered 2018 as a restructured and more streamlined entity, better able to serve its farmer and processor members. As the autonomous and unified voice of the livestock industry, LMAC is there to protect and promote the interests of livestock producers and the economic viability of the livestock sector. LMAC represents the interests of all producers in the meat industry – emergent, small and
large-scale and vertically integrated operations. Its primary thrust is to develop livestock production within strong value chains.
The Livestock and Meat Advisory Council is the overarching body for livestock associations, including
poultry, pigs, fish, dairy, beef, auctioneers, abattoirs, meat processing and stockfeed manufacture. LMAC is administered by a Board of Governors, comprising the Chairmen of its constituent livestock associations.
LMAC was established in 1994 for private sector engagement with Government on policy formulation and to ensure an enabling economic and regulatory environment for livestock production. It consults widely across the livestock sector and addresses issues of concern to the industry. LMAC’s mandate also includes commissioning of studies on the different livestock sub-sectors; and presentation of recommendations to Government.
The monthly livestock production statistics for Zimbabwe are produced by LMAC, which compiles, collates and analyses production figures for each livestock sub-sector. It monitors market trends, illegal imports of protein products and consumer consumption of meat, eggs, milk and fish.
In the interests of animal welfare and food safety, LMAC works to evolve and uphold highest production standards across the livestock sector and promotes best practice and other globally recognised production and processing standards. The Code of Conduct devised by one of its
members, the Meat Processors’ Association of Zimbabwe, is based on HACCP, a globally recognised meat processing standard. LMAC also works with the Department of Livestock and Veterinary Services on veterinary compliance with underpins animal health and livestock productivity. A core part of the mandate of LMAC is to foster closer ties with the public sector and recommend ways to strengthen linkages between government and private sector production activities.
LMAC is comprised of the Zimbabwe Poultry Association, Zimbabwe Association of Dairy Farmers, Pig Producers’ Association of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Association of Abattoirs, Meat Processors’ Association of Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe Fish Producers’ Association, Stockfeed Manufacturers’ Association and the Zimbabwe Herd Book and Livestock.