Disease control key to tackling high goat mortality

Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
THE Value Chain Alliance for Livestock Upgrading and Empowerment (VALUE) project has said disease control is key in tackling high goat mortality, noted to be 40 percent among small and medium producers by the goat value chain scoping study undertaken in 2019.

The VALUE project is part of a four-year European Union-funded Euro 40 million programme under the Zimbabwe Agricultural Growth Programme (ZAGP).

VALUE is set to end in 2023 and is being implemented by ActionAid Zimbabwe as the leading organisation in partnership with Cordinated Delle Organisation (COSV) and Mercy Corps together with private sector livestock players.

In an interview, ActionAid Zimbabwe’s VALUE team leader Mr Newton Chari said in a study they carried out in 2019 one of the major challenges in the goat value chain was high mortality.

“One of the major challenges in the goat value chain is high mortality noted to be 40 percent by the goat value chain scoping study we carried out in 2019. Among small and medium goat producers, high mortality is mainly caused by diseases as a result of inadequate application of external inputs including essential drugs and vaccines,” said Mr Chari.

He said the scoping study found that 90 percent of small and medium goat producers practice informal production.

Mr Chari said to address the high mortality in the goat value chain resulting from poor disease control among producers, the VALUE project was empowering farmers through the Goat Improvement Centres (GICs) to control diseases, internal and external parasites.

“All 12 GICs around the country have functional dip tanks and are collaborating with the Department of Veterinary Services in selling drugs through the private sector linkages with veterinary drug suppliers such as Coopers and Veterinary Distributors, who have been triggered for bulk supply of the drugs.”

Rushinga Goat Producers Business Association, in Rushinga District, Mashonaland Central, business development officer, Mr Regis Kasako said the availing of drugs at the district centres has proven to be a game changer for farmers who used to travel long distances to purchase them.

“We are grateful for the investments done by the VALUE project in building the dip tank and the drug store, getting the drugs locally has saved farmers money as we no longer have to travel to Harare to get them,” said Mr Kasako.

Goat producers in and around the goat improvement centres pay fees for dipping their goats and purchase drugs at the centres.

Mr Kasako said since April they have dipped 884 goats with farmers paying a service fee of US$0.15 cents per goat.

In addition, they are running a vaccination programme against pulpy kidney where farmers pay US$0.25 cents per goat.

Meanwhile, under the Pork Value Chain (PVC), VALUE is working closely with the Pig Industry Board (PIB) and the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) to capacitate farmers on good animal husbandry practices including disease prevention and control to ensure adherence to biosecurity to help minimise the risk of disease transmission.

Mr Chari said key measures adopted include strict adherence to biosecurity measures with emphasis on reducing and controlling the movements of people, vehicles, or equipment into areas where the pigs are kept.

He said it was also essential to check the health status of livestock before buying or selling animals, zoning, routine cleaning and use of disinfectants, post-mortem and proper disposal of dead animals as well as isolating ill animals.

Head of training at the PIB, Mr Tamo Hove Muza, said farmers should aim to provide an environment that is optimal for the animal.

“Farmers should always aim to provide an environment that is optimal for the animal and inhospitable for disease-causing agents, maintain good biosecurity, buy breeding stock from high health status herds, and suitably quarantined before introduction.

“Farmers should be alert and make sure stockmen know the signs and symptoms of common diseases,” he said.

Initiatives adopted to reduce disease occurrences under the PVC include adherence to biosecurity measures such as footbaths, fencing and isolation.

Proper waste management and disposal, bulk purchase of drugs and vaccines, and use of approved slaughter facilities to combat zoonotic diseases are also key in disease control in the PVC.