PIB TrackerIndia readies 'compartmentalization and zoning' to fast-track an FMD-free livestock economy by 2030
A national workshop at Bhubaneswar took up compartmentalization and zoning to WOAH standards to accelerate Foot & Mouth Disease control, enable safe livestock trade and reach FMD-free status by 2030 — with new digital tools for veterinary labs, dairy and AI training launched.
What happened
- The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying hosted a National Workshop on Compartmentalization and Zoning for Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD) at Bhubaneswar on 8 July 2026.
- It deliberates on compartmentalization and zoning to international (WOAH) standards to strengthen animal health and accelerate FMD control and eradication.
- The goal is FMD-free status by 2030, enabling safe domestic and international trade in livestock and products.
- Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh launched digital tools — 'Rate My Laboratory', the Dairy Vikas Portal and the Vidyapeeth Portal — and an SOP on mastitis control.
- He noted livestock is ~31% of Agricultural GVA and ~5.5% of overall GVA, with sustained vaccination driving an FMD-free India by 2030.
For Prelims
- Foot & Mouth Disease (FMD): A highly contagious viral disease of cloven-hoofed animals (cattle, buffalo, pigs, sheep, goats); it slashes productivity and blocks exports.
- NADCP: The National Animal Disease Control Programme (launched 2019) targets FMD and Brucellosis via 100% vaccination, aiming to control FMD and eradicate it by 2030.
- Zoning vs. compartmentalization: Zoning defines a disease-free geographic area; compartmentalization defines a disease-free herd/establishment based on management/biosecurity — both WOAH concepts to enable trade.
- WOAH: The World Organisation for Animal Health (formerly OIE) sets international animal-health and trade standards, including for disease-free status.
- Livestock economy: Contributes about 31% of Agricultural GVA and ~5.5% of overall GVA; India is the world's largest milk producer.
- INAPH: The Information Network for Animal Productivity and Health — the database (with ear-tagging) used to track vaccinated animals under NADCP.
For UPSC: Frame this as animal-health-led rural economy and trade — disease-free zoning/compartmentalization to unlock livestock and dairy exports and protect farm incomes. Anchor NADCP, WOAH standards, the livestock share of GVA, India's dairy leadership, and the One Health linkage between animal health and the rural economy.
What it is NOT: This is a strategy workshop and a set of digital-tool launches, not a declaration of FMD-free status; that is a 2030 goal. Zoning and compartmentalization are trade-enabling animal-health tools, not disease elimination in themselves — they certify defined disease-free areas or herds.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS3.4 · Linkage L2
Anchor
Animal health as rural-economy and trade policy — disease-free zoning to unlock livestock/dairy exports and protect incomes.
Substantiation (data)
National Workshop on FMD Compartmentalization and Zoning (Bhubaneswar, 8 July 2026); WOAH-standard disease-free zones; FMD-free-by-2030 goal; livestock ~31% of Agri-GVA, ~5.5% of overall GVA; new veterinary/dairy digital tools.
Exemplification
NADCP's mass vaccination and ear-tagging (INAPH); zoning/compartmentalization and lab-quality apps as the machinery toward FMD-free status and exports.
Problematisation
Vast livestock numbers, cold-chain and surveillance gaps, and the difficulty of maintaining certified disease-free zones across a mobile animal population.
Way-forward
Sustain vaccination and surveillance, establish and certify disease-free zones/compartments, and align with WOAH standards to open export markets.
Position
Government stance: an FMD-free India by 2030 to boost livestock productivity, farm incomes and exports under Viksit Bharat @2047.
Deploys into: Agriculture and allied sectors — animal husbandry, dairy and livestock health (GS3.4) · NADCP, WOAH zoning/compartmentalization standards, the livestock share of GVA, and animal health as a driver of rural incomes and exports.
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying · 2026-07-08 · PRID 2282663 · PIB source ↗