On Wednesday, Livestock Principal Secretary Jonathan Mueke revealed that Kenya was losing millions in export revenue by not vaccinating its livestock, as its meat was not considered premium compared to that of other meat-exporting countries.
Speaking during an interview on Spice FM, PS Mueke explained that Kenya's biggest meat importer, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), valued Kenyan goat meat at $9 per kilo, whereas the same product from other countries, such as Pakistan, was valued at $12 due to its extensive disease control measures.
According to Mueke, this amounted to a loss of approximately Ksh 4,000 per unvaccinated goat.
"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. 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," Mueke stated.
"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."
He further explained that an average goat exported to the UAE weighs about 10 kilogrammes, translating to approximately Ksh 4,000 per goat in losses, despite the fact that vaccinating one such goat costs only Ksh 50.
Since meat is readily available and remains one of Kenya’s top exports, the PS revealed that this disparity in prices has dealt a significant blow to the meat industry.
The Kenya Meat Commission (KMC) reports an average export of 500 tonnes of fresh and frozen goat, lamb, and beef by air, road, and sea every week.
"If we do not vaccinate, even though we have the livestock, we will not be able to sell them. Traceability also matters. The world has started saying that if they cannot verify where the animal came from, they will not buy it," he added.
"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"
Mueke further unveiled that if the government succeeded in its ambitious plan to have all livestock vaccinated and identified, the beef export revenue would triple.
In addition, he said that meat exports would surpass major products like tea, coffee, and flowers combined.
The controversial nationwide vaccination drive is still ongoing even after suffering immense opposition both online and from farmers. According to the government, the exercise is optional but unvaccinated livestock will have a hard time selling.
