The Hon. Chandima Hettiaratchi

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson, focusing on the COPE report regarding the dairy cattle imports: the document before us concerns Step 2 of Phase III. The project commenced in 2014; by end-2017, 5,018 cattle were imported under Step 1. Despite the Special Audit Report of 4 May 2018 highlighting issues and losses to the Government—pointing out that the selected supplier, Wellard Rural Exports Pty Ltd, was based on a decade-old procurement—authorities nevertheless proceeded to award further work to the same company.

¶ 02 For 2018, 2,500 cattle were planned at USD 8,099,729. Yet the advance was paid not for that tranche, but as a 20 percent advance for all 15,000 cattle—Rs. 1,749.6 million—without a performance bond. As at 27 February 2025, the Report notes no return or benefit accrued from that advance. Foreign exchange movements further compounded the loss; the total sunk cost is about Rs. 2,110.3 million—public money.

¶ 03 Importing cattle per se is not wrong; it is needed to develop domestic milk and reduce milk powder imports. The problem is the wrongful process—“rogue cattle” intervened in a good objective. The Cabinet paper’s goals—boost local milk, expand milk powder production, and save dollars—were right; the method was wrong. Further, the project relied on two loans totaling over USD 73 million.

¶ 04 COPE is also examining other institutions. The National Youth Services Council reportedly misused Rs. 300–400 million for political campaigns; similar issues are flagged at the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment. At the NGJA, gem parcels go missing; technology and labs are defunct—laser marking machines and FTIR units are out of order, with parts allegedly pilfered. COPE recommends investigating missing equipment, identifying culprits, restoring technology, and strengthening systems.

¶ 05 I thank the COPE Chair, Hon. (Dr.) Nishantha Samaraweera, and the Secretariat. Let us, together, root out the “rogue cattle” from our institutions and restore them to serve the public.

¶ 06 Thank you.

¶ 07 Sitting suspended for lunch at 1.00 p.m. and resumed thereafter.