Kisoro district administration has banned the movement of cattle to and from the district, following the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease in southwestern Uganda.
The Kisoro District Veterinary Officer, Dr. Isaiah Munyambonera, says the ban takes immediate effect. He says the areas most hit by the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease are Muramba and Nyarubuye sub-counties.
Both Muramba and Nyarubuye share a border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, where several cases of the disease have also been reported.
According to Munyambonera, the movement of cattle to the DRC is high because of the demand for Ugandan beef in the neighbouring country. He said Ugandan livestock fetches much higher prices in the DRC than it does at home.
Kisoro is just one of a growing number of districts that have banned the movement of cattle due to Foot and Mouth Disease. Kabale district banned livestock movement in June as a preventative measure against the disease which has ravaged southwestern Uganda.
Although the ban has just taken effect in Kisoro, market prices for beef and goats meat have increased greatly. A kilogram of goats meat has gone up from 2,800 shillings to 3,700 shillings, while beef is up from 2,500 shillings for a kilo to 3,000 shillings.
