• Vet’Tronic To Provide Microchip System For Livestock And Pets
• Platform Aims To Boost Traceability And Health Monitoring
• ASF Outbreaks Cost $35M Since 2015, Ministry Says

Côte d'Ivoire's Ministry of Animal and Fishery Resources signed a partnership agreement on Monday with Vet'Tronic, a French company specializing in electronic animal identification using microchips.

The protocol establishes the framework for a pilot project to identify and register both livestock and companion animals across the country, the ministry stated in an online release.

If implemented, the initiative is expected to strengthen management of the livestock sector, primarily through enhanced animal health control.

"Animal identification is a legal obligation in Côte d'Ivoire. It is the only official way to recognize an animal's owner and establish a formal link between the two. This system will also allow the state to guarantee animal traceability, ensure health monitoring, strengthen public safety, protect the environment, and better regulate commercial practices and imports" the ministry said, " the ministry indicated.

Details regarding the start date and duration of the pilot phase were not immediately available. The central goal of the project is to transform animal health management into a smart, proactive, and responsive system capable of limiting economic losses, protecting the public, and strengthening the resilience of the livestock sector against the re-emergence of animal epidemics (epizootics).

The need for better control is underscored by recent losses. Official data shows that between 2015 and 2023, the country experienced five outbreaks of African Swine Fever (ASF), resulting in direct losses of an estimated 9.2 billion CFA francs (about $15 million) for the pork industry. In April 2024, the Ministry of Animal and Fishery Resources declared another ASF outbreak in the Daloa department, located in the center-west. Veterinary services reported that more than 100,000 pigs were culled to combat that specific outbreak, which incurred an estimated 20 billion CFA francs in financial losses.

Stéphanas Assocle