Our work

Practical services.
Collective strength.

5.3bn LUganda dairy output, 2025

4.6bn LSurplus available for processing

32.5%Western region share of output

48.1%Regional MCCs in our network

01 Member services

Four ways we show up for members.

UCCCU farmers and veterinary staff during tick and acaricide resistance training

2021Laboratory opened with Zoetis ALPHA

01 Animal diagnostic services

Answers that arrive before the losses do.

In March 2021, in partnership with the Zoetis ALPHA initiative, UCCCU established an animal diagnostic laboratory. By October 2024, over 7,000 samples had been tested, helping farmers identify disease earlier and treat animals more precisely.

We also create awareness among members about diagnostic services, working alongside veterinarians and para-veterinarians within the cooperatives.

7,000+Samples tested by Oct 2024

420Vets & para-vets trained

Sample collection, handling and transportation training
Mastitis testing and herd health support
Farmer awareness and sensitisation sessions
Tick and acaricide resistance monitoring

Cooperative leaders attending a UCCCU governance and leadership training

DDADelivered with district commercial officers

02 Cooperative capacity building

Stronger cooperatives, one leader at a time.

With the Dairy Development Authority and District Commercial Officers, we offer governance and leadership training to cooperatives that are struggling in their operations, and to new leaders who need a firm grounding in cooperative governance and principles.

The result is a more confident primary society: clearer meetings, better records, and leaders who understand that the cooperative belongs to its members.

140Primary cooperatives reached

10Districts in the training programme

Governance and leadership development
Cooperative principles and member rights
Support for new and struggling societies
Record-keeping and business planning

A UCCCU field training session on animal health and vaccination

PooledCooperative vaccination model

03 Pooled vaccination

Protection that more farmers can afford.

We are piloting a model of cooperative pooled vaccination for vaccinable diseases, starting with clostridial diseases and lumpy skin disease. Farmers pay for the animals vaccinated, and can pay in instalments.

Pooling demand reduces the cost per animal, improves access in rural cooperatives and has reduced animal mortality among the farmers we have worked with. It has also strengthened members' loyalty to their cooperatives.

2Disease groups in the pilot

InstalmentsPayment plan for members

Clostridial disease vaccination
Lumpy skin disease vaccination
Affordable payment by instalment
Improved vaccine access for rural cooperatives

A milk collection centre in the UCCCU cooperative network

183Milk collection centres

04 Inputs & market access

A shorter, fairer route to market.

UCCCU has partnerships with suppliers of feeds, veterinary services, drugs, breeding services and milk testing equipment and consumables, bringing quality inputs within reach of members.

Our collection network of 183 milk collection centres serves 140 primary cooperatives. Member cooperatives own 238 of the 449 coolers in the region, with an installed cooling capacity of 714,000 litres per day.

183Milk collection centres

714,000 LCooling capacity per day

Feeds, drugs and veterinary inputs
Breeding services and milk testing equipment
Member-owned cold chain and transport
Collective marketing of member milk

02 Projects & initiatives

Building the next chapter.

Completed · 2021 Animal diagnostic laboratory work with UCCCU members

Project 01

The animal diagnostic laboratory.

Established with Zoetis ALPHA, the laboratory has tested over 7,000 samples and trained 420 veterinary professionals in ten districts.

Ongoing

Milk cooling and collection infrastructure

Project 02

The member-owned cold chain.

238 coolers with a combined capacity of 714,000 litres per day keep member milk safe on its way to market.

In development Dairy farming and feed preservation in South Western Uganda

Project 03

The farmer-owned processing plant.

The culmination of members' long-standing aspiration to capture more value from their own milk production.

Pilot

Veterinary field training with UCCCU farmers

Project 04

Pooled vaccination.

A cooperative approach to vaccine access, affordability and animal survival, starting with clostridial and lumpy skin disease.

Milk collection and cooling infrastructure owned by UCCCU members

Flagship project

A processing plant owned by the farmers who fill it.

UCCCU members produce over 1,200,000 litres of milk daily, of which approximately 33% is currently marketed formally. The proposed processing plant is the culmination of members' long-standing aspiration to capture more value from their own production.

The plant will be operated by an incorporated business arm wholly owned by UCCCU, with an appointed board of directors. It is how a cooperative moves from selling a raw commodity to owning the product, the brand and the margin.

1.2M LMember milk produced daily

33%Currently marketed formally

4.6bn LNational surplus for processing

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Practical services.Collective strength.