The government has banned sales of animal by-products, including meat, within Kampala following the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease.
In a letter dated March 1st, 2024, by the Commissioner of Animal Health in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, Dr. Anna Rose Ademun, to the Kampala Capital City Authority, the government imposed quarantine within the area, stopping the movement of all livestock.
“Following an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in Kabowa, Lubaga Division, Kampala district, as reported on February 28th, quarantine restrictions are hereby imposed on Kampala district as per the Animal Act, Cap. 38,” reads in part the directive.
In her letter, Dr. Ademun prohibited the movement of cattle, goats, pigs, and sheep and their products and by-products from, to, through, and within KCCA, Kampala district, until further notice.
She further shut down the operations of the livestock market, slaughter grounds, including butcheries, loading grounds, and animal shows.
On February 5th, the Cabinet approved the immediate purchase of 10 million doses of the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccine to enable the scaling up of ring vaccination in the affected and neighboring districts at high risk.
The Ministry of Agriculture recently imposed a quarantine on 32 districts across the country following the new outbreak of FMD, triggering panic and anger in the cattle corridor, where millions of people earn a living from milk and beef production.
The affected districts include Luwero, Gomba, Isingiro, Kazo, Kiruhura, and Sembabule, among others.
The Cabinet further approved a policy proposition that requires farmers to pay for the vaccines while the government pays for the cost of vaccine administration, transportation, and storage.
