Govt seeks Shs76b supplementary to combat Foot and Mouth Disease

The Ministry of Agriculture is seeking a supplementary budget of about Shs76 billion ($20 million) to purchase 10 million doses of vaccines against Foot and Mouth Disease, as the outbreak continues to ravage more than 30 districts.

Minister Frank Tumwebaze, the docket head, was yesterday scheduled to meet with officials at the Ministry of Finance to discuss the matter, ahead of a Cabinet meeting next Monday that will discuss, among others, policies to deal with the viral disease that has so far spread to 36 districts.

“We seek the support of a supplementary budget to procure at least 10 million doses to cover all the affected and high-risk districts and also support and equip district veterinary officials with disease surveillance tools and resources (motorcycles, facilitation and more personnel) and enabling infrastructure,” Mr Tumwebaze told Parliament.

Many legislators expressed support for the supplementary request.

Last week, Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa directed Mr Tumwebaze to explain how long the quarantine instituted to curb the spread would last and the measures in place to stem the outbreak. Legislators said farmers and households that depend on the animal industry needed immediate intervention.

The ministry instituted a ban on the movement of animals and closed all cattle markets and the sale of animal products in affected districts.

The 36 affected districts include Sembabule, Mubende, Gomba, Kyotera, Fort Portal City, Rakai, Ngora, Kibuku and Mbarara City, Bukedea and Butaleja.

Meanwhile, 29 neighbouring districts are listed as high-risk and are under strict surveillance. Mr Tumwebaze blamed the continued spread of FMD on connivance between local political leaders, enforcement personnel and veterinary officers to bypass the measures.

As of yesterday, there was no reprieve in sight for affected farmers and households currently affected by the quarantine, which many legislators said was crippling livelihoods and businesses. Mr Tumwebaze said restrictions would stay in place until the vaccines are purchased, distributed and vaccinations are done.

As of yesterday, the ministry had purchased and disbursed 2.5 million doses to affected districts for ring vaccination. An extra 2.3 million doses are expected in no less than a month or more.

Mr Tumwebaze yesterday told Parliament that the ministry would require $176 million (Shs671b) to vaccinate the total animal herd estimated at 44 million twice a year, as required. However, he said only 1.1 percent of this budget is available to the ministry. As a result, the ministry is unable to ensure timely inoculation.

“This explains why the country experiences repeated outbreaks. Although the Animal Diseases Act (CAP38) empowers the Commissioner of Animal Health to order the destruction of affected animals under the ‘test and slaughter’ approach, the country cannot afford to implement this provision of the law due to high compensation budget requirements,” Mr Tumwebze said.

Deputy Speaker Tayebwa, who chaired the House sitting, questioned why the government continues to purchase vaccines for large-scale herders who can purchase vaccine instead of supporting those who cannot afford.

While the cost per dose of $2 (Shs7,600) is considered affordable among farmers, the purchase is delayed by a sophisticated by supply chain. Currently, only the government imports the vaccines.

“Another challenge associated with procuring of FMD vaccines is that they cannot be bought off-shelf since they are biologicals with a short shelf life. You order and they manufacture for you,” Mr Tumwebaze explained, adding that one must know the type of the virus to order the appropriate vaccine since there are different strains of FMD.

Cabinet is expected to discuss among others the possibility of cost-sharing between farmers and the government. If approved, Mr Tumwebaze said farmers would then buy from the government.

The scientists have so far formulated two monovalent (a combination of two serotypes of FMD virus) FMD candidate vaccines and are due for evaluation and scrutiny by the National Drug Authority and Uganda National Council for Science and Technology), Mr Tumwebaze said.

Concern

Legislators from affected areas yesterday asked for the opening up of the importation of the vaccines to farmer cooperatives.

“My people depend on cattle and next week are supposed to take their children to school... They cannot service their loans, they cannot even treat the sick animals…why can’t we eradicate FMD? I attribute it to poor planning. ..Why do we wait for the disease to come and then start vaccination?” Mr Wilson Kajwengye, Nyabushozi County, said yesterday.

He added: “If MAIF [Ministry of Agriculture] cannot procure enough vaccines to vaccinate..., let them get out of business and allow the farmers and cooperatives to take over.”

Ms Sylvia Nayebale, the Gomba Woman MP, said: “We are firefighting as if we don’t know this. Cabinet is going to discuss yet we have been in quarantine for months.”