The Federation of Farmers Association-Cauvery Delta Districts has urged the State government to take urgent steps to control the spread of foot and mouth disease among cattle in Nagapattinam and other delta districts.
In a representation to Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, Arupathy P.Kalyanam, general secretary of the federation, said the endemic caused by a virulent and deadly virus was spreading fast in the delta districts.
A large number of cattle have died in Nagapattinam district already, he said and added that villagers were not aware of the correct drugs to be administered to the affected cattle.
Adequate publicity should be given on the cure for the disease and more mobile teams should be pressed into service to check the spread of the disease. Besides, district and taluk-level monitoring and control rooms should be set up. All cattle deaths should be registered in the village cattle mortality register on a daily basis, he said.
The disease, he said, had spread from the Cauvery basin districts in Karnataka and already the Karnataka government has announced relief for farmers whose cattle have died.
Farmers in the delta districts in Tamil Nadu, who have suffered heavily owing to the crop loss last year on account of drought, are now shocked to find their cattle dying, Mr.Kalyanam said and appealed to the State government to sanction a compensation of Rs.35,000 per head of cattle to the affected farmers.
