Cattle vaccination to delay over lack funds
State miniter for transport Ms Joy Kabatsi. File Photo
SEMBABULE- Livestock farmers, whose cattle were recently attacked by the tick borne disease will have to wait a little longer to have their animals vaccinated. Government says it lack funds to carry out the vaccination.
According to Ms Joy Kabatsi, the State minister in charge of Animal Husbandry, the Shs10 billion, which was budgeted to carry out vaccination of cattle and sensitisation of farmers has not been secured yet.
“We are still waiting for the funds and we expect to receive the money in January next year. I am hopeful that the exercise will kick off as soon as we receive the funds because the situation is worsening,” Ms Kabatsi told Daily Monitor in a telephone interview recently.
This comes weeks after livestock farmers in both Kiruhura and Sembabule districts expressed worry over the tick borne disease that is threatening to wipe out their herds of cattle.
Some farmers claim they have been using acaricides in spraying and dipping animals against ticks for the last five years, but they have become ineffective and resistant to the disease.
Causes
The promise. Government recently promised to carry out mass vaccination of animals and sensitisation of farmers in the affected areas on the right acaricides to use.
Fast spreading. Agriculure State minister Joy Kabatsi says the problem of drug resistant ticks has spread to Karamoja sub-region due to cattle movement.
