PM orders restructuring of Livestock and Dairy Development Board, plans vaccine plant

Profit by Pakistan Today reported that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered a restructuring of the Livestock and Dairy Development Board and asked for a strategy within one week to build a livestock vaccine plant at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC). The directives came from a high-level meeting in Islamabad that reviewed reforms in the livestock sector and steps to lift exports.

Sharif wants the board converted into an effective body by bringing in private sector experts, and officials were told to present the restructuring plan as soon as possible. Founded in 2007, the body is tasked with promoting animal breeding and raising milk and meat output. The premier stressed that private players should lead growth in the industry, especially in adding value and expanding exports, and that livestock brought in through special bonded warehouses should be processed so that meat and dairy goods can be shipped abroad.

The federal government will also set up a national facility for modern livestock vaccines using its own resources. Outside auditors have started inspecting slaughterhouses to lift meat industry standards, officials told the meeting. They also reported that livestock vaccines now in use have not been cleared by DRAP, so purified vaccines are being developed domestically, and steps are under way to create special bonded warehouses for imported animals.