Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccination Campaign Officially Launched in Samsun

September 16, 2026 · Tarım Pusulası

Samsun Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry announced that no unvaccinated animals will be allowed to be transported and administrative fines will be imposed on non-compliant farms as part of the Autumn Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccination Program, which will be implemented between September 14 and November 13, 2026.

The 2026 Autumn Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccination Program across Samsun was officially put into practice on September 14, 2026, under the coordination of the Samsun Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry. While field operations are targeted to be completed by November 13, 2026, vaccination activities will be carried out by veterinarians within the provincial and district agriculture and forestry directorates. Samsun Provincial Director of Agriculture and Forestry, Kemal Yılmaz, stated that foot-and-mouth disease is a viral threat that spreads rapidly among cloven-hoofed animals, causing significant economic losses, and called on all breeders in the region to vaccinate their herds.

Kemal Yılmaz announced that foot-and-mouth disease directly negatively affects the trade of live animals and animal products, and that in addition to cattle and buffalo, sheep, goats, and cloven-hoofed wild species are also susceptible to this virus. According to information shared by the Provincial Directorate, the movement of cattle that have not been vaccinated, both within and outside the province, will absolutely not be permitted, and veterinary health reports will not be issued for these animals. Furthermore, it was clearly stated that calves that have not completed their vaccination schedule will not benefit from livestock support payments.

It was emphasized that the application of foot-and-mouth disease vaccination is a legal obligation under Article 4 of Law No. 5996 on Veterinary Services, Plant Health, Food and Feed. According to data from the Samsun Provincial Directorate of Agriculture and Forestry, farms that evade vaccination and act in violation of the law will be subject to an administrative fine of 132,108 Turkish Liras. Officials requested that any suspected cases observed on farms be immediately reported to the provincial or district directorates and that the necessary facilitation be provided to field personnel.

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