Speaking at the launch of the facility, Aga Sekalala Junior the Ugachick executive director, said the facility in Wakiso will approve the quality of the company’s chicks, feeds, raw materials and chicken farm facilities.

He said the facility is expected to improve efficiency and productivity of Ugachick products and those of other industry players since all their samples will be tested at the facility.

NewVision reports that the sh300m laboratory was launched by Amelia Kyambadde, the minister of trade and industry, on Friday.

Sekalala said this will guarantee quality for customers because it will produce quantified and definitive measurements of products in line with international standards.

“If a bird dies now, we can tell what it has died from,” he added.

The facility also helps in early detection of poultry diseases, consequently saving the company and customers from possible loss.

The managing director of Ugachick, Aga Sekalala Senior called for a strong regulation policy in the agro processing and poultry breeding sector to improve standards.

“Compliance to standards is a key requirement to penetrate and compete in premium export markets such as the European Union, the US and Japan. This laboratory is critical to quality compliance, gives a competitive edge and will ensure the health and safety of consumers,” Ms Kyambadde noted.

She said the Government will ensure that the laboratory gets international accreditation.

“We are going to come up with a legal framework to make all SMEs in the sector work in accordance with the stipulated standards to compete effectively at the regional level. There is ready market for chicken and chicken products in the country and region which must be tapped,” she added.

Uganda is estimated to have between 40-50 million chicken of which 30 million are hybrids.

Ms Kyambadde said the industry faces many challenges which are only worsened by unfair competition from imported chicken.

“We are going to regulate the importation of dressed chicken through issuance of permits by the Ministry of Agriculture and Pre-Verification on Conformity (PVoC),” she noted.

Dr Ben Manyindo the executive director UNBS, said they have informed the dealers and announcements are going on.

“We are starting the verification on 1 June, to enforce standards which also applies to the local producers,” he added.