FMD: Agriculture Ministry officials accused of poor planning as animal quarantine bites nation
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries (MAAIF) has been accused of not doing enough to devise means of containing the outbreak of Foot and Mouth (FMD) disease in various parts of the country.
Farmers and other affected stakeholders opine that had MAAIF bosses not slept on the job, maybe, the animal quarantine being imposed to contain FMD menace wouldn’t be in place.
But because of sloppiness and poor planning at MAAIF, they are now in untold suffering with their livelihood threatened.
According to MAAIF Minister, Frank Tumwebaze, animal quarantine has so far been imposed in 36 districts. They include,Budaka, Bukedea, Bukomansimbi, Bunyangabu, Butaleja, Fortportal City, Gomba & lbanda.
Others are;Isingiro, Kabarole, Kasanda, Kayunga, Kazo, Kiboga, Kibuku, Kiruhura, Kumi, Kyankwanzi, Kyegegwa, Kyotera, Luuka, Lwengo, Lyantonde, Mbarara, Mbarara City, Mityana, Mpigi, Mubende, Nakaseke, Nakasongola, Namisindwa, Ngora, Ntungamo, Rakai, Rwampara and Sembabule.
Movement of livestock and livestock products into and out of these districts or through to other districts is immediately banned, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
On the prompting of Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, today, Tumwebaze presented a statement on the floor of parliament updating the nation regarding the progress made in containing FMD.
In some of his submissions, Tumwebaze said that there are 44 million animals in the country that require vaccination against FMD.
“This requires an annual vaccine stock of 88 million doses for the bi-annual vaccination requirement at a cost of US$2 per dose translating into US$176 million,” he said.
He is optimistic that with quarantine in place, FMD will soon be contained as they wait for 2.3m doses of the vaccine in the next so one or two months.
That his Ministry is also seeking support for a supplementary budget to procure another 10 million doses to cover all the affected and high risk districts.
“Quarantines are unpopular and an inconvenience to people’s livelihoods but yet again inevitable as temporary measures to control further spread to alarming and uncontrollable epidemic levels…Scientists and economists have estimated the economic cost of FMD to a farmer per unit livestock to be USD 20 per infection. The cost can be higher with repeated infections. Countries that have eradicated the disease don’t allow trade with affected countries or those that control the disease by vaccination. The disease causes economic losses to the farmers & to the country due to disruption in animal production,” he stressed.
MPS NOT CONVINCED
But several MPs remained unconvinced and the debate was instead deferred after Mps poked holes in Minister Tumwebaze’s submissions.
He was instead told to come back next week with the position from Cabinet on measures being taken.
UPDF Representative, Maj Gen Sam Kavuma wondered what will happen with the farmers who are already quarantine as the government goes through the process for supplementary budget for acquisition of vaccines.
“What happens now as people cannot sell their cows or milk?” he sked.
Gomba District Woman MP, Hon. Sylvia Nayebale also decried lots of fake vaccines on the markets. She blamed it on the MAAIF people whose job is only to enjoy the comfort of their AC offices instead of cracking the whip.
“The ministry is seated back as the farmers continue to buy these fake vaccines.”
Kabula County MP, Hon. Enosi Asiimwe is concerned that even the vaccine MAAIF calls a magic bullet lasts for only 6 months implying there must always be boosters.
“Why don’t we channel more money into making the vaccine locally so we deal with the problem for good?” he suggested.
The Deputy Speaker was even more concerned about small scale farmers who sometimes have no Gamba no’ogu [sic] for connections to access the much awaited vaccines.
“Are these vaccines reaching the small persons? If someone has 1000 cows, why can’t they buy their own vaccines and we support the small scale farmers. We can say someone with 50 or less cows, let us say maybe we support those,” he stressed.
For Nyabushozi County MP, Hon. Wilson Kajwengye, vaccination is a lazy policy that comes after outbreak of the disease. “This quarantine is not helping anything. You vaccinate to prevent the outbreak of the disease. We are now looking at treatment and not inoculation.”
There are suggestions animal quarantine should be lifted now that the whole country is already affected.
Uganda has about 50 million livestock including 16 million goats, 15 million heads of cattle, 5.6 million sheep, and 5 million swine.
FMD is a viral disease of cloven-hoofed livestock and wildlife including cattle, goats, swine, sheep, and buffalloes. It has occurred several times in Uganda since 1953 when it was first confirmed. It is characterized by fever and blister-like sores on the tongue and lips, in the mouth, on the teats, and between the hooves.
The disease causes severe production losses, and while the majority of affected animals recover, the disease often leaves them weakened and highly is unproductive.
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