Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the restructuring of the Livestock and Dairy Development Board (LDDB).

He issued these directives while presiding over a high-level meeting regarding the livestock sector in Islamabad today.

The Livestock and Dairy Development Board was established in 2007 to promote livestock breeding, increase milk and meat production, and develop the livestock sector in Pakistan.

The Prime Minister also directed that the Board be transformed into an effective and functional organization by incorporating experts from the private sector. He instructed that a plan for revamping the Board be presented as soon as possible.

Shehbaz Sharif further directed that imported livestock, housed in special bonded warehouses, be utilized for the value-addition process. He said that meat and dairy products obtained from imported livestock should be exported after value addition.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the private sector should come forward for the uplift of the livestock sector. He further said that the Federal Government would establish a national-level plant for the production of modern and effective livestock vaccines, using its own resources.

He directed that a strategy be presented within a week for establishing a livestock vaccine plant at the National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC).

During the meeting, the Prime Minister was briefed on the progress of reforms in the livestock sector and measures taken to increase exports related to the sector.

The meeting was informed that the process for a third-party audit of slaughterhouses had commenced. It was further informed that vaccines currently available for livestock in Pakistan are not approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and that steps are being taken to produce purified livestock vaccines within the country.

It was also informed that steps are being taken to establish dedicated bonded warehouses for imported livestock.