Tehran – Iran has achieved a top global standing in livestock production while recording substantial growth in the domestic manufacture of veterinary medicines and supplements, according to the head of the Iranian Veterinary Organization (IVO).

 

Alireza Rafiepour reported that in less than a year, targeted support for domestic companies has led to a 65% surge in feed supplement production, a 57% increase in veterinary pharmaceuticals (both liquid and solid forms), and a 30% rise in manufacturing licenses, all achieved despite international sanctions.

 

“In the vaccine sector, production of livestock and poultry vaccines has grown by 3.9% and 4%, respectively. The official noted that replacing imported laboratory diagnostic kits with locally developed test kits through knowledge-based companies has saved the country 30 billion tomans, while domestic production of avian influenza antigens has contributed an additional 20 billion tomans in economic savings.”

 

Currently, Iran hosts 286 factories producing veterinary medicines and 86 facilities manufacturing nutritional supplements, supported by 301 raw material suppliers, 153 nationwide distributors, and 298 provincial distribution companies, Rafiepour said.

 

“This integrated network, the senior official said, ensures the stability, security, and self-sufficiency of Iran’s animal health supply chain.”

 

Highlighting performance in the first half of the current year, he stated that over 76 million poultry, 5 million small livestock, and 700,000 large livestock were processed in slaughterhouses across the country.

 

The total value of Iran’s livestock output - including milk, red meat, poultry, eggs, honey, and silk cocoons - now exceeds 16 billion dollars, placing the nation among the world’s top producers. Iran currently ranks second globally in milk production, ninth in poultry meat, seventh in eggs, and fourth in honey, the head of the Iranian Veterinary Organization noted.

 

He further emphasized that strategic aquatic diseases have declined by 48% over the past six months, generating an estimated 6 trillion tomans in national savings. This success, he said, reflects effective coordination between government institutions, private producers, and knowledge-based enterprises.

 

“In the same period, over 68 million doses of avian influenza vaccine were administered nationwide, underscoring Iran’s growing capacity for domestic vaccine production and disease prevention.”

 

He concluded that in the previous year alone, Iran produced and exported 18 million tons of protein-based products, including red meat, poultry, eggs, honey, and silk cocoons, solidifying its position as a regional and global powerhouse in animal production and veterinary innovation.