State Minister for Agriculture Desire Muhooza has said plans to involve farmers in the vaccination of their animals are underway. Muhooza said this in Parliament on Tuesday while giving details of the pending Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccination programme rollout.

According to the minister, farmers in Uganda will be required to cover 20 per cent of the vaccination costs of their animals, while the Government will foot the bill for the remaining 80 per cent of the cost.

Muhooza said the move is aimed at achieving control of FMD. The vaccination programme targets farmers’ cattle, goats, sheep and pigs.

The Government of Uganda has secured 53.6 million doses of FMD vaccines for a vaccination campaign scheduled to take place in two phases. The first phase will take place from July to August 2026, while the second phase will be rolled out from January to February 2027.

The vaccination cost-sharing comes at a time when the Government of Uganda is planning to establish a local vaccine factory in the country to fight FMD. Farmers’ contribution is Shs8,000 per dose for cattle and pigs, and Shs4,000 per dose for goats and sheep.

The Minister added that the government found it vital to take these steps in the quest to shift farmers’ mindset from free agricultural inputs to Parish Development Model (PDM) project financing. She called for sensitising farmers about the new approach.

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Maj. Gen. (Rtd) David Kasura-Kyomukama, appealed to the animal sub-sector farmers to reach out to their respective District Veterinary Officers (DVOs) and enrol in the Foot and Mouth Disease vaccination programme.