Parliament has welcomed progress in Tanzania’s national livestock vaccination and identification campaign, with lawmakers citing early gains in animal health and market access.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Industry, Trade, Agriculture and Livestock made the remarks on March 16, 2026 during a visit to Mvomero District, where it reviewed implementation of the programme.
Committee chairperson Deodatus Mwanyika said the campaign, launched a few months ago, had already begun to yield results.
“For the short period since the exercise began, our country has started reopening some markets and strengthening its reputation as one of the countries implementing a large-scale vaccination programme,” he said.
Mwanyika said the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries had played a key role in coordinating the campaign, particularly through education efforts that encouraged livestock keepers to participate.
Livestock and Fisheries Minister Bashiru Ally Kakurwa said support from livestock keepers’ associations had been critical in addressing misinformation about the exercise.
“For a long time, the country had not conducted a nationwide vaccination campaign, and there were many misconceptions about the vaccines and animal identification. The associations helped provide technical clarification on the benefits,” he said.
A representative of the livestock keepers’ association, Mr Mathayo Daniel, said the campaign had helped reduce livestock losses, even during a prolonged dry season.
“This vaccination has been very helpful. Despite the long dry season, livestock keepers have not experienced losses due to respiratory diseases,” he said, adding that the government should consider expanding vaccination to include foot-and-mouth disease.
The committee concluded its tour of the livestock and fisheries sectors after visiting the Tanzania Fisheries Corporation on March 13, 2026 in Dar es Salaam.
