Agriculture Minister Frank Tumwebaze has clarified that farmers are not paying for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccination services, saying their contribution is limited to the cost of the vaccine doses administered under the government’s cost recovery scheme.
The clarification follows public concern over the requirement for livestock farmers to contribute towards the nationwide FMD vaccination exercise, which forms part of Uganda’s efforts to contain the highly contagious livestock disease.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Tumwebaze said government continues to shoulder the wider costs of the national FMD control programme, including vaccine procurement, cold chain infrastructure, transport, surveillance, laboratory diagnosis and public sensitisation.
“Farmers do not pay for FMD vaccination services or the broader costs of running the national FMD control programme. They contribute only the approved cost of the vaccine dose administered to their animals,” Tumwebaze said.
Under the FMD Cost Recovery Scheme, farmers contribute Shs8,000 per cow or pig and Shs4,000 per goat or sheep during each vaccination cycle. The money is deposited into a revolving account used to replenish vaccine stocks and maintain supplies for the mandatory vaccination programme conducted every six months.
The minister said the arrangement is designed to guarantee a sustainable vaccine supply while allowing government to continue funding the logistics and veterinary systems needed to implement the programme.
“Government continues to finance the broader FMD control programme, including vaccine procurement, cold chain infrastructure, storage, transport, distribution, surveillance, laboratory diagnosis, farmer registration, digital certification, monitoring and public sensitisation,” he said.
Uganda has an estimated 44.5 million cattle, pigs, goats and sheep that are susceptible to FMD, making sustained vaccination critical to building herd immunity, reducing disease outbreaks and protecting farmers from economic losses.
The vaccination campaign also introduces digital certification for vaccinated animals.
Tumwebaze said every vaccinated animal will receive a Digital FMD Vaccination Certificate, which will be required for livestock movement and access to meat and milk markets.
“This certificate does not replace the statutory veterinary movement permit or disease control restrictions in outbreak areas,” he noted.
To curb fraud and improve accountability, the minister directed farmers to make payments only through authorised banking and digital payment channels designated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF).
He warned that veterinary officers are prohibited from collecting cash from farmers and that any official found demanding cash will face disciplinary or legal action.
The government is also pursuing local production of FMD vaccines through partnerships with Egypt and HUVET Bio Science Park in Mpigi. According to Tumwebaze, domestic manufacturing will strengthen Uganda’s vaccine security, reduce dependence on imports and gradually lower vaccination costs once production meets quality and biosafety standards.
“The cost recovery scheme is a shared responsibility model: farmers meet the vaccine cost, while Government covers the infrastructure, personnel and services needed to deliver vaccination and protect Uganda’s livestock sector and markets,” Tumwebaze said.
FMD is one of the most economically damaging livestock diseases in Uganda, with outbreaks often triggering quarantines, disrupting livestock movement and limiting access to domestic and export markets for animal products.
Authorities say consistent nationwide vaccination remains one of the most effective tools for preventing future outbreaks and safeguarding the country’s livestock industry.
