KARACHI: As the lumpy skin disease penetrates further into Sindh districts causing greater animal mortality, a top livestock official on Monday claimed that the government was unable to compensate cattle farmers’ losses.

Speaking to Dawn, cattle farmers and veterinary experts blamed the government for the worsening disease situation, particularly in the interior parts of Sindh, and said that the disease outbreak could have been effectively controlled and farmers’ losses could have been minimised only if the government had taken timely measures.

The viral disease was officially notified this month followed by a provincial government notification on emergency on the disease despite the fact that it had started affecting cattle in the province in November last year.

The vaccines are yet to arrive.

Official says govt can’t compensate farmers, but will provide free vaccines for animals

According to the official data, the disease has affected 22 districts. A total of 28,048 cases so far have been reported in Sindh with Karachi topping the list with 16,501 cases followed by Thatta 4,512 and Hyderabad 684.

More than 12,000 animals have recovered while 15,215 are under recovery. A total of 233 animals have died of the disease till to date.

“The government can’t compensate dairy farmers, but will provide free vaccines for animals that will arrive this week,” said director general-livestock Dr Nazeer Kalhoro.

He claimed that the cases had reduced in Karachi due to the steps taken by the government. “A viral disease spreads and its cases peak before dropping down. This explains why lumpy skin disease is spreading.”

The government, he said, had been tracing cases since the disease outbreak and taking containment measures.

Significant drop in milk, meat sales

“Cattle farmers have been badly affected by the propaganda about the disease, and milk and meat sales in Karachi have gone 60 per cent to 70pc down despite veterinary experts’ repeated explanation that the disease cannot be transmitted to humans from meat or milk,” said a dairy farmer operating in Cattle Colony.

He said the disease had affected a large number of exotic cows, mainly housed in farms along the Superhighway.

“They were all finally slaughtered. The situation is not that bad in Cattle Colony since it largely houses buffaloes, which are not affected by the disease.”

Representing the Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association, Dr Zaid Khan described the situation in the interior parts of Sindh as “extremely worrisome”.

“Small-scale cattle farmers who earn a living by selling off a few litres of milk a day are hard hit. The government must provide them compensation for their losses that could have been minimised through timely intervention,” he said, adding that the middle-men were making money even in this crisis.

Most of the small-scale farmers in Sindh, he said, were illiterate and too poor to get the right treatment for their infected animals. “The situation has worsened also because genuine vets are not practicing here, and farmers are forced to consult quacks.”

Dr Khan, based in Khairpur, also called for government attention towards open dumping of remains of affected animals, posing a threat to public health.

Dr Mushtaq Bhanbro, a private vet in Thatta district, said the entire coastal belt of Sindh had been affected by the disease and it had now reached Tharparkar.

“Few cases have been reported there. But, if the government fails to take preventive measures, the disease could devastate the whole community as they depend on their animals for survival,” he said.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2022