In Goiás, herd declaration and mandatory vaccination against rabies for herbivores begin on May 1st

The Goiás Agricultural Defense Agency (Agrodefesa) informs that the deadline for declaring livestock and the last mandatory vaccination campaign against rabies in herbivores in the state of Goiás begins on May 1st. Animals of all ages of the bovine, buffalo, equine (horse, mule and donkey), goat and sheep species must be immunized by June 15th of this year, in the 119 municipalities classified as high risk for the disease.

Vaccination complies with the guidelines of Ordinance No. 246/2025, published by Agrodefesa, and will be the last mandatory vaccination. As of July of this year, immunization will become strategic, as defined by Normative Instruction No. 01/2025. In this new phase, immunization will only be required on properties with a confirmed focus of the disease and recommended in perifocal areas, within a radius of up to 12 kilometers from the focus.

The president of Agrodefesa, José Ricardo Caixeta Ramos, emphasizes that the change follows a national trend of regionalizing actions to combat rabies, focusing on areas where the disease is effectively present. “However, it is important to emphasize that in this last stage, all producers in the 119 municipalities considered high risk must still vaccinate their animals. Failure to comply may result in sanctions and restrictions on the issuance of animal transit guides,” he explains.

He also emphasizes that vaccination continues to be the main way to prevent outbreaks of the disease, associated with controlling the population of vampire bats, the main transmitters of the virus. “Rabies is a serious zoonosis, with high lethality. Immunization of livestock can be carried out, regardless of the obligation, and prevents health and economic losses and also protects human health,” he highlights.

During the vaccination campaign stage carried out in November and December of last year, vaccination coverage in the state reached 99,15% of the animals declared to Agrodefesa, totaling approximately 2.5 million cattle and buffaloes vaccinated between 0 and 12 months of age. “We are always very pleased with the adherence to our campaigns, which reach almost 100% of animals. This shows the commitment of our cattle farmers to the health of the herd”, highlights José Ricardo Caixeta Ramos.