Ntungamo has lifted the Foot-and-Mouth Disease quarantine in most parts of the district after eight months of containment measures, allowing livestock slaughter, transportation and movement of animal products from disease-free areas.
The quarantine, imposed after the disease outbreak began in December 2025, disrupted livestock farmers, traders, butchers and consumers, with livestock markets closed and movement of animals and animal products restricted.
However, restrictions remain in Ngoma and Rweikiriniro sub-counties and Rubaare Town Council, where the disease is still present on nine farms.
District Veterinary Officer Dr Yake Basulila said authorities had managed to contain the outbreak and reduce the number of affected farms.
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"We had an infection which had occurred to us as late as December last year. We were able to manage the spread of the disease and also contain it to its lowest remaining nine farms," Basulila said.
The lifting of the quarantine means slaughter, domestic livestock loading, transportation and movement of animals and animal products will resume in disease-free areas, subject to controls established by the district.
Basulila said each lower local government must establish and gazette designated livestock loading points before movement resumes.
"Slaughter, domestic loading, transportation and also movement of animal and products from the disease-free areas has been allowed. But to implement this, each lower local government has to put in place gazetted areas where they will be loading," he said.
Ntungamo Resident District Commissioner and District Foot-and-Mouth Disease Task Force Chairperson Miriam Kagaiga said enforcement agencies would monitor compliance with the guidelines and penalise those who violate them.
She urged farmers to continue vaccinating their animals until the disease is completely eliminated from the district.
"Of the 34 sub-counties which we have in Ntungamo District, only three have remained quarantined. Vaccination is going to continue in the whole district. Let's cooperate. There is a fee of Shs8,000," Kagaiga said.
The prolonged quarantine affected livestock-related businesses and household access to animal products, with farmers and traders reporting losses caused by restrictions on markets and animal movement.
Farmers, livestock dealers, dairy product dealers and butchers welcomed the lifting of the restrictions during a stakeholders' meeting with the district FMD task force, saying the prolonged quarantine had severely affected their livelihoods.
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Authorities, however, warned that the lifting of restrictions in disease-free areas does not mean the end of control measures, with vaccination and monitoring expected to continue across the district.
