THE Government is this year expected to carry out a nationwide livestock immunisation programme to protect animals from diseases that might breakout in the country.

Agriculture and Livestock Deputy Minister Rodgers Mwewa said the ministry was currently working on modalities on how best the immunisation process would be implemented.

Mr Mwewa said the main objective of the immunisation exercise was to ensure that animals were protected from any form of livestock diseases which had proved a threat to the development of the sector.

"We will carry out a national livestock immunisation programme this year the idea is to vaccinate animals against different and specific diseases," he said.

Mr Mwewa said the other objective for the exercise was to stop diseases from spreading thereby helping farmers reap more benefits from their animals.

"I feel as Government, we should procure a lot more vaccines and make sure that the medication is readily available for our farmers at grass root level," Mr Mwewa said.

He said the livestock sector was important to the national economy but, it was faced with a number of challenges with the most being that of disease.

Among other constraints in the sector was that of long distances from the camp sites where farmers get assistance.

However he said, the ministry would ensure that the issue of human resource in the sector was addressed as soon as possible.