The Government is considering tougher penalties for livestock owners who allow their animals to roam freely, following concerns over damage to farms and risks to public safety.

Minister for Agriculture, Waterways and Sugar Industry Tomasi Tunabuna confirmed the review during a ministerial response in Parliament today, following a question from Opposition MP Joseph Nand on the penalties issued against negligent livestock owners over the past 12 months.

Mr Tunabuna said uncontrolled livestock, including cattle, horses, goats, pigs and sheep, continued to create problems for farmers, motorists and communities.

He said livestock owners were responsible for keeping their animals properly secured and supervised to prevent them from entering public roads, farms and neighbouring properties.

Over the past 12 months, the Ministry of Agriculture, through its Animal Health and Production Division, responded to complaints, carried out inspections and impounded stray animals under existing laws.

Mr Tunabuna told Parliament that 95 livestock owners had paid the required fees to recover their impounded animals during the reporting period.

Of those, 77 were recorded in the Western Division, 16 in the Northern Division and two in the Central Division.

However, he clarified that these payments were for impounding and animal release fees and did not represent court fines or successful prosecutions.

The Ministry also assisted in identifying livestock owners and forwarded relevant information to police stations for investigation and further action.

On whether penalties would be increased, Mr Tunabuna said the Government was assessing current legislation and enforcement arrangements to determine whether existing fines remained adequate.

The review will consider higher penalties, particularly for repeat offenders and cases involving serious damage to agricultural land or threats to public safety.

He said the Ministry would also continue working with the Fiji Police Force and other stakeholders to improve public awareness, livestock identification and responsible animal management.

Mr Tunabuna stressed that farmers should not suffer financial losses because of other people’s negligence, while road users should not have their lives endangered by freely roaming animals.

He urged livestock owners to take greater responsibility for controlling their animals, saying ownership came with obligations to protect both livelihoods and public safety.