French ambassador to Nepal Martine Bassereau attended a program to administer the vaccine to cows and goats against foot and mouth disease in Tahali of Nagarkot Municipality Ward no 1 of Bhaktapur district.

Government of France has made a donation of 100,000 dozens of food-and-mouth disease vaccine to Nepal government’s Department of Livestock. As food-and-mouth disease is one of the major disease killing cattle in Nepal, the donation provided by Government of France has significant importance.

“The vaccine will be used as part of Nepal’s ongoing campaign to control foot-and-mouth disease and will be particularly valuable in those districts severely affected by recent earthquakes,” said Deputy Director General of Department of Livestock.

During the ceremony, representatives from Food and Agriculture Association (FAO) were also present. “Out of 100,000 doses, we have already administered over 90,000 doses,” said the doctors.

The donation of vaccine was organized through the European Commission for the Control of Foot and Mouth Disease (EUFMD), UN Food and Agriculture Organization of which France is a member state. The FAO Regional Support Unit of the Emergency Center for Trans-boundary Animal Disease based in Kathmandu provided vital local facilitation.

Nepal experiences frequent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease. According to head of District Livestock Division of Bhaktapur, FMD is a severe and extremely infectious viral disease affecting cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats and pigs.

The disease causes blisters in the mouth and feet and leads to production losses including reduced milk production, chronic lameness and death, particularly in young animals.

“It is a great pleasure for France to provide this kind of support to Nepal directly benefiting the farmers,” said French Ambassador to Nepal Martine Bassereau. “France is happy to be a part of the campaign to prevent FMD in Nepal,” said ambassador Martine Bassereau, who also visited a cattle farms and observed the administration of vaccine.