Kazakhstan proposes doubling one of its livestock-related fines

Tengrinews.kz - Kazakhstan’s Minister of Agriculture, Aidarbek Saparov, has proposed introducing fines for livestock owners who fail to register their animals.

The move comes in response to recent anthrax outbreaks, which were linked to unregistered and unvaccinated livestock.

“We will tighten control in this area. Owners will be held accountable—this is not how you raise livestock. If a cow calves, the owner must register the calf and tag its ears within seven days. There’s an automated system in place, but some are ignoring the rules. We’ve now issued an order to go door to door and explain the requirements. Until now, there were no penalties for missing ear tags, but we’ll now increase the fines—possibly double them,” Saparov said at a government briefing.

Penalties will also apply to veterinarians who neglect their areas of responsibility, as well as dealers who trade livestock without proper documents.

“Currently, the fine for failing to register livestock is 30,000 tenge. There are dealers buying animals and selling them at markets without any paperwork or veterinary clearance. We’ll introduce liability for them—possibly even criminal. We plan to amend the law accordingly. Otherwise, there’s no way to stop this. Stricter controls are needed, because this endangers public health,” said the minister.

The proposed amendments are still in development. They are expected to be submitted to the Mazhilis in the fall after deputies return from recess. However, authorities plan to begin issuing fines immediately to negligent livestock owners and veterinarians.

Earlier, Saparov confirmed that two villages in the Atbasar district of the Akmola region had been placed under quarantine due to an outbreak of anthrax.