Gov’t Claims Kenya Loses Millions In Meat Export Due To Lack Of Vaccination
On Wednesday, Livestock Principal Secretary Jonathan Mueke said that Kenya’s failure to vaccinate its livestock was costing the country millions in export earnings.
According to the PS, Kenyan meat is not deemed premium when compared to meat from other exporting countries.
In an interview with Spice FM, PS Mueke said that the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kenya’s largest meat importer, valued Kenyan goat meat at $9 per kilo.
Meanwhile, similar products from other nations, such as Pakistan, were valued at $12 because of their rigorous disease control methods.
According to Mueke, this resulted in a loss of around Ksh 4,000 per unvaccinated goat.
For the first time, livestock farmers are getting the support they deserve! From mass vaccination to feed subsidies, we’re making livestock farming more profitable and sustainable. #livestockcommercialization #mkulimakwanza pic.twitter.com/sVmPNWKGIv
— Hon. Jonathan Mueke, CBS (@jmueke) February 12, 2025
“Since we send over 85 per cent of our meat to the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, we decided to focus on these two countries in our root market study,” Mueke stated.
“We visited supermarkets, examined the prices, and were shown that one kilogramme of goat meat from Pakistan sells for $12, while the same from Kenya sells for $9.”
He added: “We asked what the difference was between the two, and the response from the supermarkets was that they were uncertain about our disease control measures because we do not provide any vaccination certificates. As a result, our meat is not considered premium.”
PS, Jonathan Mueke: We are losing 4000 shillings per goat in UAE and Saudi Arabia for not vaccinating our livestock. It cannot be sold as premium meat.#TheSituationRoom
— SpiceFM (@SpiceFMKE) February 12, 2025
Follow our live conversation on YouTube: https://t.co/MONjtG6m60 pic.twitter.com/T7O6dunwga
He went on to explain that the average goat sent to the UAE weighs about 10 kilogrammes, resulting in losses of almost Ksh 4,000 per goat, despite the fact that vaccination of one such goat costs only Ksh 50.
Because meat is widely available and is one of Kenya’s top exports, the PS stated that the price disparity has inflicted substantial harm to the meat industry.
The Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) reports an average weekly export of 500 tonnes of fresh and frozen goat, lamb, and beef by air, road, and sea.
“If we do not vaccinate, even though we have the livestock, we will not be able to sell them,” he added.
“Traceability also matters. The world has started saying that if they cannot verify where the animal came from, they will not buy it.”
He continued: “We have gotten a system called ‘animal identification and traceability’ and is at the tail end of developmental and we will begin testing it next week.”
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Mueke went on to say that if the government’s ambitious effort to vaccinate and identify all animals is successful, beef export revenue will triple.
Furthermore, he predicted that meat exports will outperform key items such as tea, coffee, and flowers combined.
Despite widespread criticism online and among farmers, the contentious countrywide immunization effort continues.
According to the government, the exercise is optional, but unvaccinated livestock will have difficulty selling.
Gov’t Claims Kenya Loses Millions In Meat Export Due To Lack Of Vaccination
