LAHORE: The Corporate Dairy Farmers Association (CDFA) has issued a critical appeal to the government, calling for immediate administrative intervention to prevent a potential catastrophe outbreak in the livestock sector.
This formal request has been a direct response to a disease alert issued on January 6, 2026, which warned of the ‘very likely’ introduction of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) Serotype SAT-1 into Pakistan via its western borders. This alert is substantiated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Rapid Risk Assessment from December 4, 2025, which predicts a high probability of the virus spreading within the country between January and early February 2026.
While Pakistan’s livestock population is already endemic to FMD serotypes A, O, and Asia-1, the SAT-1 strain represents an exotic and far more lethal threat that has historically been absent from the region.
Expert assessments emphasise that the SAT-1 serotype is exceptionally aggressive and poses an existential risk to the national herd. Unlike the common strains that farmers are used to managing, SAT-1 can bypass existing immunity and cause rapid, widespread illness.
The projected mortality rates provided by specialists are staggering. The virus could cause the death of 15 per cent to 20 per cent of adult cows. The impact on sucklers — young calves — is even more catastrophic, with mortality rates expected to reach as high as 90 per cent.
Beyond the immediate loss of animal lives, the economic consequences are severe, as an outbreak could lead to a reduction in milk production by up to 80 per cent per affected animal, potentially crippling the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and the entire supply chain.
The CDFA emphasises that the country’s modern large-scale dairy sector, which increasingly relies on high-yielding imported breeds, is particularly vulnerable to this new strain. These animals are under extreme risk due to their specific biological sensitivities, making the early availability of a specific, high-potency vaccine the only viable line of defence.
Following an exhaustive consensus among leading dairy health experts and veterinarians, the association has identified vaccine as the most effective preventative solution. This vaccine is utilised globally and is recognised for its proven safety, high quality, and specific efficacy in preventing the SAT-1 serotype. Its immediate introduction is seen not just as a commercial necessity but as a matter of national food security to protect the domestic milk supply.
In a proactive effort to secure the industry, a formal case has been submitted for getting an official approval for this vaccine under the ‘New Product Registration (Vet-Import)’ category to the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) on January 12, 2026. The application is currently being processed by the Biological, Evaluation and Registration Division of DRAP.
The CDFA earnestly requested that the animal husbandry commissioner provide his full support to expedite this registration process. The time-sensitive nature of the threat, expected within the next three months, means that traditional regulatory timelines may be too slow to prevent a major outbreak. The timely availability of the vaccine will be a great relief for the survival and sustainability of the dairy sector — be it small, medium or large-scale dairy farmers of the country, it concludes.
