Ethiopia: Importers Approve Ethiopia's Livestock Quarantine System

Meat production in Tanzania.

Experts of major livestock importing Middle East countries have given approval to the Mille International quarantine system, expected to uplift Ethiopia's livestock export.

According to the Ministry of Livestock and Fishery, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirate experts have assessed and assured the quality of the Quarantine center, located in Afar State. They have also shown full interest to import livestock from the center to their respective countries.

Livestock Identification, Traceability and Welfare Director at the Ministry, Dr Hadgo Mandefro told The Ethiopian Herald that even though it is one of the leading countries in terms livestock resources in Africa, Ethiopia has been not been exporting livestock with its full potential due to four major reasons; shortage of fodder, lack of productive livestock species, animal health and market problems.

Thus, the government is exerting efforts to tackle such problems by implementing quarantine and Livestock Identification and Traceability Systems (LITS) in different pastoral areas based on Sanitary Phytosanitary (SPS) measurement and other standards of World Trade Organization (WTO) and World Animal Health Organization (OIE). It has also invested around fifty million Birr and provided free access to vaccines for pastoralists in order to preventing animal diseases, particularly transboundary diseases.

"Since LITS is one mechanism to Insuring the quality of our livestock, two projects, which involve a follow up process from value chain up to post quarantine or export, were launched as pilot programs in Borena and Abergele zones of the Oromia and Tigray states. Besides, 98 per cent of the establishment of the Jigjiga quarantine system has been finalized," said Hadgo.

According to Dr Yikalo Tsega'ab, a senior expert on LITS, the Mille was chosen for the model project because of its closeness to Djibouti, the major import-export transit of Ethiopia. On the other hand, the area is hub for the movement of livestock from Tigray, Amhara, particularly Wollo area and Oromia states as well as the surroundings of Addis Ababa.

Meanwhile, there are ongoing quarantine projects in Jigjiga of Somali, Humera and Metema of Amhara and Almehal of Benishangul Gumuz States. "Currently, the implementation of the projects also incorporates Standard Operation Procedure prepared by the Ministry based on OIE standards".

It was indicated that the expansion of both the Quarantine and LITS projects to different areas would enable the nation to broaden its international market chain and realize its plan to exporting 1.2 million livestock by the end of GTP II.