Fertility, control of tick-borne diseases, clean milk production, and fodder conservation will be the focus of the veterinary Health and Fertility camps that are going to be held from January 2 to 11 as part of the third round of Janmabhoomi-Maa Voou programmes.
The Department of Animal Husbandry is going to conduct these camps on a large scale in districts with good cattle strength.
Krishna, Chittoor, and Vizianagaram, which have large livestock population, have been selected for a special ‘de-ticking’ programme.
In districts with sizeable cattle population, two teams have been deployed for each mandal to conduct the camps. Each team will be headed by a veterinary surgeon, who will be assisted by two paravets and two attenders.
Even municipalities are being covered with one team conducting a camp.
Two special livestock disease diagnostic teams each headed by a veterinarian from the Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Vijayawada, will evaluate the district livestock disease profile.
A hundred teams will conduct camps in all the 970 gram panchayats in Krishna district, and camps will also be conducted in the municipal areas where there is sizeable livestock population.
Thrust area
Though treating of sick and ailing animals is top on the priority list, artificial insemination, fertility management, de-worming of calves, awareness programmes on silage making, Azolla culture and hydroponics will be introduced to the dairy farmers.
Under the de-ticking programme, all the animals brought to the camps would be sprayed with Amitraz, a mild insecticide, to check the spread of tick-borne diseases.
Assistant veterinary surgeon Saigopal Thummala said that budget had already been allocated for drugs, de-ticking, and for conducting awareness programmes in Krishna district.
Funds sanctioned
The government sanctioned Rs. 29 lakh for drugs and medicines, Rs.12 lakh for de-ticking, and Rs. 2.50 lakh for conducting awareness programmes.
Animals found to be “critically infertile” would be registered for prolonged treatment under the ‘Suphalam’ programme, Dr. Saigopal said.
Under an awareness programme for “clean milk production,” farmers would be educated about Subclinical Mastitis (SCM).
The milk yield of cattle suffering from SCM gradually reduced. The reduction was so slow that the farmers do not even notice it. But the losses were huge — at the country level the annual loss of revenue due to SCM was more than Rs. 6,000 crore. The quality of milk was also affected by excessive use of antibiotics and various types of hormones.
Awareness drive
The farmers would be educated about this issue under the campaign.
Flagship programmes of the department — Ksheerasagar, Sunandini, Suphalam, Manakodi would be highlighted, Dr. Saigopal said.
