Livestock vaccination exercise in Arusha supporting healthier animals, safer communities and stronger livelihoods for farmers and pastoralists in the Northern Zone (Photo by a Correspondent)
BY A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
The livestock vaccination and identification campaign in the Northern Zone has effectively contained the outbreak of animal diseases, including cross border epidemics from neighbouring countries.
The Acting Zonal Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Robert Buluba, told journalists in Arusha that some of the diseases were Bovine Pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in cattle, which is highly contagious, sheep and goat pox and Newcastle disease in free ranging chicken.
“The vaccination is crucial for Tanzania to obtain certification for exporting meat and livestock products in international markets through the World Organisation for Animal Health,” said Dr Buluba who is also the head of the Arusha-based Northern Zone Veterinary Investigation Centre.
The initiative, said Dr Buluba, has strengthened the livestock value chain and improved access to both local and international markets, including within the East African Community (EAC) as it has significantly reduced trade barriers that previously limited the export of livestock and livestock products due to the failure to meet international standards.
Tanzania is the third largest cattle country in Africa behind Ethiopia and Somalia. The livestock sector is one of the key contributors of GDP as it also provides a range of employment opportunities.
