Serere | Ministers of State for Fisheries Hellen Adoa and Minister of State for Youth and Children Affairs Dr. Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi have launched a mass livestock vaccination campaign in the Serere district.
To tackle livestock illnesses such as foot and mouth disease, the Ugandan government purchased vaccines.
During the launch in Sapir village, Ocaapa town council, Minister Balaam emphasised the government’s commitment to animal safety in the district. He stated that the exercise is designed to protect the region’s livestock.
Dr. Collins Ameonya, Serere district’s Principal Veterinary Officer, reported that the district has 147,000 livestock that need to be vaccinated.
They received 50,000 doses of vaccines valued at shs350 million. As of Saturday, 31,000 doses had already been administered, with the remainder scheduled to be completed by next week.
Ameonya highlighted tick-borne disease challenges caused by farmers’ ineffective tick control practices, which frequently involve the use of inefficient equipment such as salon spray pumps.
Minister Adoa urged farmers to participate in the government-funded programme, which aims to protect the livestock industry nationwide.
She warned residents about unauthorised charges by veterinary officers and encouraged them to report any such incidents.
She applauded Parliament and the Ugandan government for allocating funds to purchase and distribute vaccines against foot and mouth disease.
Justine Akuta, a local farmer whose animals had been vaccinated, thanked the government for addressing farmers’ challenges, such as pest and disease management, which had previously been financially burdensome and inaccessible.
By Robert Edwomu
Discover more from tndNews, Uganda
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.