The State minister for agriculture, Lt Col Bright Rwamirama, has written to the Minister for Kampala, Minsa Kabanda, clarifying that the meat ban in Kampala will not be implemented and that Kampala is not under total quarantine.

Lt Col Rwamirama noted that the decision was reached upon realization by the technical team that the sick herd in Rubaga which informed the decision to announce the ban in February had been successfully treated.

“The technical team has since established that the disease is localized, the sick herd has been treated and put under strict surveillance,” Rwamirama’s letter reads in part.

Rwamirama further noted that as per the guidelines for safe trade in animal and animal products issued on February 2, abattoirs and livestock markets operating in non-affected areas shall continue operating to receive non-affected animals, as long as they do not come from or through affected areas.

The news comes as a relief to livestock farmers and traders who feared the previously implemented restrictions would hurt their businesses.

In February, a case of FMD was detected in a grazing unit in Rubaga division, Kampala. To prevent further spread within Kampala and Metropolitan areas, the Ministry of Agriculture had ordered stringent measures including a ban on the movement of animals and by-products within the city.