Statement on 'foot-and-mouth disease' from Minister Yumaklı: Doses will increase, no vaccine fee will be charged!

Minister of Agriculture and Forestry İbrahim Yumaklı emphasized that foot-and-mouth disease, a contagious disease found in cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, and deer, negatively affects international trade in live animals and animal products while also causing major economic losses. 

Reminding that foot-and-mouth vaccination is required for the inter-provincial transport of cattle in the fight against the disease and that unvaccinated animals are not permitted to be transported, Yumaklı underscored that the same foot-and-mouth vaccination requirement is also sought for calf subsidies provided within the scope of supporting animal production.

Noting that no vaccine fee will be charged for vaccines with a total cost of 250 million TL within the scope of the 'Intensive Vaccination Program', Minister Yumaklı pointed out that routine vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease is carried out twice a year in the spring and autumn months, and provided the following information:

"NO VACCINE FEE WILL BE CHARGED"

“In 2023, against the SAT-2 virus, which had not been seen in our country before, we took all necessary measures at that time and ensured that the vaccines produced by our Foot-and-Mouth Disease Institute against this virus were administered to our entire cattle population. As part of the fight we are conducting against foot-and-mouth disease, we are taking another important step right at the beginning of 2024 and launching a new vaccination program. We have increased the number of doses from the 2 doses we routinely administered in previous years to 3 this year. We will administer the first dose between January 29 and March 31, 2024, within the scope of the ‘Intensive Vaccination Program’. Within the scope of this vaccination program, where vaccines with a cost of 250 million TL produced by our Ministry's Foot-and-Mouth Disease Institute will be used, no vaccine fee will be charged to our producers.”

Minister Yumaklı emphasized that the fight against foot-and-mouth disease will continue unabated throughout the country all year long and stated the following:

TARGET IS EID AL-ADHA

“Within the scope of this fight, we plan to get through Eid al-Adha without any problems regarding animal diseases by re-vaccinating all cattle in the country and small ruminants in Thrace during the spring period, which covers the dates between April 15 and June 15, 2024, before Eid al-Adha. We have made a plan to vaccinate all cattle in the country again during the autumn vaccination period, which covers the dates between September 16 and November 17, 2024. With these efforts, we aim to protect our animal assets completely from this disease, which causes major economic losses, by conducting an effective fight against foot-and-mouth disease in our country.”

News Source: 12punto