Lumpy skin disease haunts Punjab’s farmers

It has been a rough few months for farmers in a province which is known for being the country’s chief food supplier as cultivable land got flooded and now adding to their worries is an epidemic that is killing off livestock.

The lumpy skin disease (LSD), which first started causing havoc in Sindh, has now strengthened its grip in Punjab much to the dismay of farmers for whom often their livestock are a source of income.

According to records obtained from Punjab Livestock by the Express Tribune, so far 26,191 cattle have fallen victim to LSD since June, which is when the disease first started spreading in the province. Furthermore, as per the department, so far 537 livestock animals have died due to the viral illness.

Even though deaths may be low for now, the province has over 10 million cows and buffaloes, as per Punjab Livestock, and their owners are worried beyond measure of the threat that looms. Mohammad Tariq and Anjum Bhatti, residents of village Langian of Zafarwal, the border area of Punjab, are amongst these farmers. “My cattle are my livelihood and I have already lost two to LSD. However, I fear that the worst is yet to come,” lamented Tariq. When asked if he was taking any precautionary measures, Tariq, directing his ire towards the government, said that the viral disease could be curbed if the relevant departments took it seriously.

“I contacted the livestock staff several times but they still have not reached our village for vaccinating the animals,” the farmer informed, adding that many were now relying on private doctors for the vaccine. Another farmer, Amir Hayat Bhandara, concurring with Tariq, said that the provincial government had failed to address the fears of cattle keepers across Punjab. “Graziers have already had a rough year with the inflation and flooding but no one has batted an eye,” he remarked. Bhandara was of the view that the government should at least provide financial support to those who had lost their livestock.

Director Research, Punjab Livestock, Dr Abdul Rehman, who has been appointed as the focal person on LSD, when asked about the plight of the farmers, said that the department was in the process of vaccinating all cattle. “We had 2.6 million vaccine doses out of which 2.5 million have been used,” Dr Rehman informed. However, the focal person believes that vaccines alone will not help if graziers do not cooperate. “A major reason why LSD has spread is because farmers throw animals who die because of the disease out in the open. This leads to flies and mosquitoes becoming carriers and infecting other cattle,” he explained, adding that instructions had now been issued at the Union Council level to prevent this practice.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 24^th, 2022.