KAMPALA, Uganda — Livestock farmers across Uganda who fail to vaccinate their animals against foot-and-mouth disease will be barred from livestock markets under a new compulsory national policy aimed at eradicating the costly viral infection.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries announced that veterinary authorities will withhold movement permits and trade certifications from unvaccinated livestock. The strict measures follow severe disease outbreaks between late 2023 and mid-2024 that triggered prolonged quarantines, closed local markets and disrupted regional agricultural commerce.
Under the policy, the government will enforce mandatory biannual vaccinations for all susceptible livestock species, including cattle, goats, sheep and pigs. The first nationwide vaccination round is scheduled for July and August, with the second cycle following between January and February next year. Subsequent rounds will occur every six months.
To sustain the program, the government is shifting from its previous free vaccine model to a cost-recovery scheme. Available resources under the old model were insufficient to meet the 80 percent to 100 percent vaccination coverage required to halt transmission.
Under the new cost-sharing framework, farmers will 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 costs for vaccine administration, transport, cold-chain logistics and disease surveillance.
Funds collected from farmers through participating financial institutions will go into a dedicated revolving fund managed by the Bank of Uganda to finance continuous vaccine procurement.
State Minister for Animal Industry Bright Rwamirama said the contribution from farmers is minimal compared to the catastrophic losses caused by a single outbreak. He added that the strategic shift protects farmer investments and strengthens Uganda’s capacity for international meat and dairy exports.
The policy targets Uganda’s entire susceptible livestock population of approximately 45.5 million animals, which includes 16.5 million cattle, 17.4 million goats, 4.4 million sheep and 8 million pigs. Foot-and-mouth disease remains a major barrier to trade for the agricultural sector, which generated more than $385 million from dairy exports last year.
The government has procured 53.6 million doses of a high-potency quadrivalent vaccine designed to protect against four major regional strains of the virus. To support the rollout, the state expanded its primary vaccine storage capacity in Entebbe and built 53 solar-powered district storage facilities over the past fiscal year, with plans for 40 additional centers next year.
As of June 12, veterinary authorities had onboarded 20,000 farmers onto the national vaccination system and registered 3.5 million animals. Preliminary registration and vaccination exercises are underway in several major livestock-producing districts, including Nakaseke, Lyantonde, Kiruhura, Rukungiri, Kasese, Kazo, Isingiro, Rakai, Kayunga, Mbarara, Ibanda, Kyegegwa, Mubende and Ntungamo.
Prominent livestock owners have voiced support for the mandatory program. Jolly Kabirizi, the director of Kyakuwa Farm in Wakiso district, said treating an infected animal costs over 100,000 shillings, making the 8,000-shilling vaccine fee highly economical.
Henry Sight Lugoloobi, chairperson of the Uganda Best Farmers Coalition, called for strict enforcement and penalties against non-compliant farmers, noting that a single infected herd can jeopardize the economy of an entire region.
