Cabinet has approved a plan that will see farmers pay for foot and mouth disease vaccines administered to their animals, the Ministry of Agriculture has said.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Minister for Agriculture, Frank Tumwebaze said a cabinet sitting on Monday under the chairmanship of President Museveni discussed among others, the strategy by the ministry to control and eradicate foot and mouth disease in the country.
“Cabinet approved immediate sourcing of 10 million doses of foot and mouth disease vaccine to enable scaling up of ring vaccination in the affected and neighboring districts at high risk,” Tumwebaze said.
He noted that cabinet also approved plans by government to create a revolving fund to enable procurement of sufficient foot and mouth disease vaccines periodically in the country to facilitate compulsory bi-annual vaccination of the susceptible domestic animal population.
“Cabinet also approved a policy proposition that requires farmers to be paying for the vaccines while government pays for the cost of vaccine administration, transportation and storage,” Tumwebaze added.
According to the Agriculture Minister, cabinet also resolved that when the revolving fund has been created and adequate vaccine stocks have started coming into the country, vaccination of all susceptible domestic animals be made compulsory.
“Proof of vaccination will be a pre-condition for any farmer to sell any animal or animal products. I appeal to fellow livestock farmers and stakeholders to understand and appreciate these efforts as we steadily move to eradicate foot and mouth disease in Uganda just like other animal diseases like rinderpest were eradicated.”
Foot and mouth disease has spread to atleast 36 districts across the country, incuding Bukedea, Budaka, Bukomansimbi, Kassanda, Ntungamo, ibanda, Mbarara, Mpigi, Mityana, Kiruhura, Kazo, Kumi, Kyankwanzi, Kyotera , Bunyangabu, Kayunga , Luuka and Namisindwa among others.
Government has since imposed quarantine in these districts but there has been an outcry over the same.
