Africa-Press – Uganda. The government, in partnership with Makerere University, has launched an electronic livestock identification and traceability system expected to be rolled out countrywide soon.
This was revealed during the handover of the Uganda livestock Identification and Traceability System report to the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries.
According to the report, a survey was conducted for two years on the identification and traceability components.
During the survey, 160,000 animals were sampled from three districts bordering Uganda, which are Isingiro, Rakai and Kyotera.
In each sub-county the target was to register 10 to 20 farms of 50 to 100 animals each, translating to 1,000 cattle in a sub-county and a total of 4,000 cattle ear tagged and registered in a district.
The project coordinator from Makerere University, Prof Anthony Mugisha, said the system will trace the animals from the original farm to the market or holding ground and then to the final destination and abattoir.
“The moment the animals reach the checkpoint, the officer will be able to read and find the date in the computer system because all the animals will have specific numbers,” he said.
Prof Mugisha added: “With an electronic system, the commissioner of animal health will be able to trace in the system and see the type of permit issued and trace all animals in the country in case of any disease outbreak.”
He said the system is expected to use the radio tracking system, which costs Shs12,000.
The State minister for Animal Industry, Mr Bright Rwamirama, said: “We can now trace our livestock from farm to fork and this is going to add a lot of value to our livestock because it’s for both the ordinary people and other farmers who can afford electronic system.”
“This ensures that any livestock treated with a contra-indicated drug will be excluded from inclusion in the movement permit. The implementation of quarantine measures is assisted with the movement control and slaughter ban of all livestock registered within the zone,” he added.
The project was supported by the Government of Uganda and the European Union at a cost of Shs1.1 billion.
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