Over 20 percent (6,000) of cows in Sabatia Sub County have so far been vaccinated against Foot and Mouth disease under the ongoing e-Voucher vaccination programme.
Speaking at the DCC’s boardroom during a Heads of Departments meeting, Sabatia Sub County Agriculture Officer (SCAO), Robert Anyolo confirmed that they target to vaccinate about 30,000 at the end of the exercise.
Anyolo said initially they were faced by a few challenges that slowed the vaccination process especially time spent on door-to-door visits to farmers to identify and vaccinate the animals.
He however informed the meeting that assisted by chiefs and their assistants, farmers are being mobilized to bring their cows to a central place to be identified and vaccinated.
“Just like fingerprints are used to identify people, cows are identified by their muzzles as the muzzles are very unique for each cow,” said Anyolo.
He encouraged farmers to ensure that they take all their cows for identification and vaccination saying through identification, cases of theft will be reduced as it would be possible to track the animals’ location at any given time.
Saying the exercise was going on nationally, Anyolo said though the cost of vaccinating one cow is supposed to be Sh110, farmers are supposed to pay Sh50 only while the government pays the balance.
He said plans are underway to manage diseases affecting livestock, improve breeding and feeding so that farmers can produce quality and quantity yields from their animals.
Anyolo at the same time advised farmers to plant crop friendly trees like gravelia, fruit trees and fodder.
By Maureen Imbayi
