Livestock vaccination boosts beef exports
ARUSHA: BEEF exports have increased by more than 1,100 tonnes following the implementation of the National Livestock Vaccination and Identification Programme launched last year.
The Acting Officer in Charge of the Northern Zone Veterinary Investigation Centre, Dr Robert Buluba, said the programme had strengthened disease control, increased livestock production and opened new international markets for livestock products from Tanzania.
Dr Buluba said the programme, launched in June 2025, aims to vaccinate cattle, goats, sheep and chickens across the country to improve animal health and boost the livestock industry’s contribution to the economy.
“Beef exports rose from 13,112.44 tonnes in the 2024/2025 financial year to more than 14,213.7 tonnes in 2025/2026, attributing the increase to improved disease control through vaccination,” Dr Buluba said.
The programme targets the vaccination of 19.9 million cattle, 17 million goats and sheep and 30 million chickens nationwide. So far, implementation has reached about 65 per cent of the target. Dr Buluba said the vaccinations protect livestock against diseases, including contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) in cattle, Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) in goats and sheep, as well as diseases affecting indigenous chickens.
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“The Northern Zone had achieved about 60 per cent coverage in cattle vaccination, while Newcastle disease vaccination for chickens had reached 98.5 per cent,” he said.
The programme has also helped expand export opportunities, with Aviagen East Africa and Kobo East Africa farms in the Northern Zone beginning exports of day-old chicks to Ivory Coast and Cameroon.
He said hatching eggs were now being exported to Sierra Leone, Ghana and China, while newly established abattoirs had started supplying meat to the Saudi Arabian market.
Dr Buluba said the government had introduced an electronic livestock identification and tracking system, known as the Utambuzi App, to simplify the registration of farmers and livestock using electronic tags, making it easier to monitor animal movements and control disease outbreaks.
He said the government was continuing to educate livestock keepers through Nane Nane exhibitions and community outreach programmes while providing free Newcastle disease vaccines for chickens and subsidising 50 per cent of vaccination costs for cattle, goats and sheep.
“I urged livestock keepers to prioritise vaccination and maintain proper hygiene when handling animals to prevent the spread of zoonotic diseases such as rabies, anthrax, brucellosis, tuberculosis, Rift Valley fever and avian influenza,” Dr Buluba said.
He said the awareness campaigns were aimed at protecting public health, improving livestock productivity and strengthening economic growth through the livestock sector.
