In abid to safe guard consumers of meat and regulate the dairy industry, government has introduced a strict policy that will block unvaccinated animals from commercial trade
Under the new regulatory framework announced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, veterinary authorities will withhold crucial movement permits and trade certifications from any livestock not vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease.
The aggressive market intervention follows a devastating wave of outbreaks between late 2023 and mid-2024 that triggered prolonged commercial quarantines, shut down local livestock markets and caused severe financial losses for producers.
State Minister for Animal Industry Bright Rwamirama says the policy establishes a mandatory, biannual vaccination cycle for the country’s entire commercial livestock inventory, which spans an estimated 45.5 million susceptible animals, including 16.5 million cattle, 17.4 million goats, 4.4 million sheep and 8 million pigs. The first nationwide enforcement round is scheduled for July and August, with the second phase following between January and February next year.
“To fund the massive logistics operation and ensure its long-term financial viability, the government is dismantling its previous free vaccine model in favor of a cost-recovery scheme. Agriculture officials noted that the previous state-funded model suffered from chronic resource constraints, failing to achieve the 80 percent to 100 percent vaccination coverage threshold necessary to stop corporate supply chains from fracturing during an outbreak,”he stated.
He also clarified that under the new cost-sharing guidelines, commercial farmers must pay 8,000 shillings per dose for cattle and pigs, and 4,000 shillings per dose for goats and sheep. The central government will absorb the remaining operational overhead, financing vaccine administration, cold-chain transport logistics and regional disease surveillance.
“All revenue collected from the agricultural sector will be directed into a specialized revolving fund managed by the Bank of Uganda, guaranteeing a continuous, self-sustaining capital pool dedicated solely to international vaccine procurement,”he stressed.
According to the minister Uganda generated more than $385 million from dairy exports, a substantial increase from approximately $285 million in 2024. However, recurrent foot-and-mouth disease outbreaks have historically acted as a primary non-tariff barrier, locking local meat processors out of premium global markets due to strict chemical and biological residue standards.
To support the market transition, government has built primary vaccine storage hub in Entebbe and established 53 solar-powered district storage facilities over the past fiscal year, with 40 additional distribution centers planned for the next financial period.
The ministry has already secured 53.6 million doses of a high-potency quadrivalent vaccine engineered to neutralize four dominant regional strains of the virus.
By June 12, veterinary authorities had registered 20,000 farmers and 3.5 million animals into the national tracking system. Preliminary compliance exercises are already underway across core cattle-corridor districts, including Nakaseke, Lyantonde, Kiruhura, Rukungiri, Kasese, Kazo, Isingiro, Rakai, Kayunga, Mbarara, Ibanda, Kyegegwa, Mubende and Ntungamo.
Henry Sight Lugoloobi, Chairperson of the Uganda Best Farmers Coalition, noted that because a single cow represents an asset value of between 2 million and 5 million shillings, the 8,000-shilling compliance fee is an entirely reasonable insurance premium.
Lugoloobi urged the government to enforce strict penalties against non-compliant producers, warning that a single infected herd threatens the economic stability of the entire agricultural value chain.
