March 20, 2013
A nationwide initiative on immunisation, treatment, guidance and labelling livestock was launched on Saturday (Mar 9) by UAE's Ministry of Environment and Water (MoEW).
The campaign is part of its strategy to raise food security and bio-security and provide better, high quality services to livestock breeders.
The Minister, Rashid Ahmed Bin Fahad, told the media that the initiative was rolled out in line with the Ministry's policy to maintain the rates of growth in animal population and further partnership with stakeholders.
He stressed that animal health is key to the ministry's drive towards a vibrant national economy and food security.
The initiative, he added, aims to protect consumer health, safety and health of livestock against infectious epidemic diseases, achieve food security, and help breeders to grow more cattle and raise productivity.
A team of more than 30 veterinarians will implement the initiative, which will run till December 2013 in the Central, Northern and Eastern Regions.
Farm animals - cows, sheep and camels - will be immunised against a number of diseases, including foot and mouth disease, plague of small ruminants, poisonous blood, cowpox, and infectious bovine pulmonary disorders.
This follows the launch of initiative "Halalna" (Our livestock) as part of the ministry of Environment and Water's efforts to raise bio-security, enhance food security and develop its services provided to animal breeders in the country. It also aims to strengthen and develop partnership opportunities with animal breeders in line with directives by the government.
