Provincial Minister for Agriculture and Livestock, Syed Ashiq Hussain Kirmani, inaugurated the Lumpy Skin Disease vaccine at the Veterinary Research Institute Lahore (VRIL) on Friday.

He was accompanied by Secretary Livestock Punjab Masood Anwar, Director General (Research) Dr. Sajjad Hussain, and DG Livestock (Extension) Asif Salman Sahi.

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In his address, Ashiq Kirmani commended the efforts of the Livestock Department and the Veterinary Research Institute teams in developing the Lumpy Skin Disease vaccine, emphasizing the livestock sector’s crucial contribution to the country’s economy.

He announced a government initiative to provide loans with easy installments to 40,000 farmers in rural Punjab for dairy farming through livestock cards. He also mentioned Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s approval of disease control and traceability programs, which will benefit 150,000 livestock farmers and 1.2 million animals.

Secretary Livestock Punjab Masood Anwar discussed the challenges faced in vaccine development and highlighted the department’s internal surveillance and counter-check system for monitoring diseases.

He stressed the department’s dedication to improving vaccine quality and implementing a quality assurance mechanism, in line with the motto “prevention is better than cure.”

After the inauguration, the agriculture minister awarded shields and recognition to outstanding doctors in the institute’s research department.

He also inspected the institute’s cold chain supply system and participated in a tree planting activity.