Animal Health and Welfare:

Antimicrobial resistance and Sheep & GoatPlague (SGP) need a global response

By: Denis KabiitoNational CoordinatorUNYFA

Contibution of Livestock to Ugandan Economy/ Farming households.

In 2009 food processing accounted for 40.3% of Uganda’s manufacturing valueadded products(UBOS) where:-

• meat preparation and dairy processing accounted for 3%

• animal feed production constituted 0.9% and

• leather and footwear production made up 0.6% of total industrial production.

Livestock make a modest contribution to the non-agricultural sectors ofUganda’s economy. In comparison to the other IGAD countries (like Kenya,Sudan, Ethiopia) livestock and their products make up a small part of Uganda’sexports, the per capita production of meat and milk for domestic consumptionis low, as is the role of animal production in manufacturing, and Ugandansspend a moderate proportion of their household food budget on livestock-derived foods.

In 2009 livestock contributed 1.7% to total National GDP; currently revisedestimates place it at 3.2% (ICPALD7/CLE/2013).

Contibution of Livestock to Ugandan Economy/ Farming households.

Livestock and livestock products constitute a small portion of Uganda’sofficial export trade, in the period from 2006 to 2010 it was not more than1.5% of all exports by value.

Table 1: Formal exports of livestock products – quantity, value and percentageof all export value (Source: ICPALD7/2013)

Commodity Unit 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Cattle hides Ton 22,214 20,942 13,042 5,160 120,869

‘000 US $ 8, 032 18,114 12,518 5,996 17,061

% value 0.8 1.4 0.7 0.4 1.1

Live animals ‘000 head

0 23 95 198 7

‘000 US $ 28 1,551 1822 3,908 3,985

% value 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.2 0.2

Contibution of Livestock to Ugandan Economy/ Farming households.

o The production of meat and milk for domestic consumption is low inUganda, averaging less than 11 kg of meat and about 23 liters of milkper capita per year for all Ugandans.

Contibution of Livestock to Ugandan Economy/ Farming households.

Table 2: Meat and milk for domestic consumption, 2009 (Source: ICPALD7/2013)

Total Off take Official export Off take for domestic consumption

Total meat & offal or milk, tons for domestic consumption

Per capita, Kg or liters /Year

Cattle off take, head

1,192,726 10,912 1,181,814 177,272,100 5.77

Camel off take,head

575 0 575 89,125 0

Sheep off take, head

779,886 0 779,886 10,918,404 0.36

Ruminant total - - - 238,969,165 7.78

Poultry off take 35,859,303 0 35,859,303 46,617,094 1.52

Pig off take 732,096 5,142 726,972 43,618,320 1.42

Total all Meat - - - 329,204,579 10.7

Milk off take, liters

719,130,352 0 719,130,352 719,130,352 23.42

Livestock/Animal Welfare

Production systems for Cows

1. Extensive grazing, free ranging & pastoralist (mainly in Northern region & Karamojasub-region of Uganda)

2. Tethering (common in Urban & Semi-urban areas)3. Semi-intensive grazing (in Western and Central regions of the country)4. Zero grazing / Backyard production system (common in central region) – primarily

for small scale dairy farming.

Cattle are kept for milk & meat - improved & exotic breeds are kept for dual purpose(mainly in Western & Central regions)

Reported diseases of significance include: tick borne diseases;brucellosis;contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (within free ranging system)

Indigenous breeds are considered more resilient & resistant to infections comparedto exotic & cross breeds.

Access to veterinary services and drugs may be difficult in remote areas across allregions.

Livestock/Animal Welfare

Production systems Goats / sheep

1. Extensive grazing, free ranging & pastoralist2. Tethered grazing .3. Semi intensive, daytime grazing- housed at night & fed supplementary feed. (for

exotic and cross breeds)4. Zero grazing mainly for small herds.

Indigenous goat breeds make up 98.7% of the national goat herd & approximately83% are of the East African Small Goat breed. While sheep make up 99.8% of totalpopulation with 99.1% sheep owning households having indigenous sheep

Goats/sheep are almost exclusively kept for meat production with very few exotic& cross breeds kept for meat & dual purpose.

Their value is less than cattle so farmers are less willing to spend money onmedicating , rather waiting to see if they recover naturally. Alternatively, sickanimals are sold off or slaughtered for home consumption.

Goats/ sheep are often owned by women or young adults who do not have theresource to afford treatment.

Oxytetracycline (OTC) is the most commonly used drug for these animals.

Sheep and Goat Plague Control

Small ruminants (sheep & goats ) are vital asset for many of the world‘s poorest livestockkeepers (pastoral communities)

80% of the world‘s 2 billion smal ruminants are in Africa, Middle East & Asia (FAO)

When PPR was first reported in Uganda in 2007, an estimated 700,000 goats & sheep died.Another viral disease is Sheep & goat Pox (SGP) with mortality rate of about 50%.

Threatened by Peste des Petits Ruminants(PPR) disease, PPR virus can affect up to 90% of aflock and fatality can go up to 70% (Galvmed)

Control

- Vaccine for PPR & SGP are available but limited to government vacination compaign oncethere is an outbreak.

- Vaccine trialsof the MCI combined PPR/SGP vaccine – LYOPOX_PPRTM were launched inMoroto, Karamoja, North-Eastern Uganda, 700,00 sheep & goats were vaccinated along with30,000 in Sembabule, Central Uganda. (Karamoja is a hot spot area for PPR)

- One way to encourage communities to purchase the combined vaccine to protect theirlivestock is to target opinion leaders.

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

The key driver for antimicrobial resistance in agriculture is quantity &quanlity of antimicrobials used in livestock production & aquaculture(Grace,2015).

The term antimicrobial with respect to antimicrobial resistance (AMR),refers to any microorganism (bacteria, fungus, parasite or virus)developing resistance to a drug to which it was previously sensitive.

However, the global focus on antimicrobial resistance, particulary in feildof agriculture, is primarily on antibiotic resistance and usage.

The term antimicrobials refers to drugs not specified as antibiotics andthese would include antibiotics, anti-coccidials, anti-protozoal and anti-parasitic drugs

Antibiotics are crucial in human and animal health- growing levels ofresistance to these drugs pose an increasingly serious threat to publichealth.

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)Causes

Key serious contributing factor is irresponsible use of antibiotics in livestock sector without prescriptionthus sulting into the phenomenon of AMR.

Common abuses such as:-

- Treatment of cases without laboratory diagnosis due to inadquate laboratory capacity for rapid diagnosisof disease and culture& sensitive testing.

- Drug under dose due to limited veterinary & agricultural extension services to provide advice &knowledge on best husbandry. Maintaince of heath & use of biosecurity.

- Treatment of animals with human drugs & vice versa - posed to its profitability sales for veterinarians &dispensing retailers thus creating disincetives to minimise use.

- Use of drugs as production tools & feed enhancement in healty animals.

- Easy access to antibiotics.

Some farmers in Uganda directly /indirectly through veterinary practioners do not quite often observe themandated withdrawal time when animal and animal products should be free of antibiotics, thus safe forhuman consumption.

Insufficient capacity to police & enforce the existing National Drug Athourity regulations concerning thesale and dispensing of antimicrobials.

Apparant lack of small scale farmers‘ willingness to pay for veterinary services

limited awareness among veterinary professionals, para- veterinarians, pharmaceutical retailers &farmers of the consquences of innapropriate use antimicrobials and impact on AMR to livestock.

What to do to tackle AMR

A national programme with One Health approach to the surveillance of AMR & AMU is required

across veterinary, public health, food hygiene and environmental sector.

Establish better standards and improve quality control of animal feed production prohibit theaddition of antimicrobials in animal feeds.

Re-educate veterinary and medical professionals, para-professionals and pharmaceuctical retailsabout their duties to ensure antimicrobial stewardship, to promote and adhere to NDA guidelines(NDA 2016) on responsible prescribing and dispensing of antimicrobials.

Publicise among livestock keepers, feed companies and the general public, the risk of AMR and linkswithAMU in both humans and animals.

Reduce the inappropriate use of antimicrobias by veterinary service provision, both at level ofcomsultancy and diagnostic services, prescriptions and dispensing antimicrobials.

Improve laboratory capacity in diagnosis and sensitivity testing to ensure more accurate, evidence-based use of antimicrobials and reinforce awarenessof resistance developing.

Reduce farmers‘ perception of the need for antimicrobials to maintain health and improveproduction, by sharing knowledge and information on improving and husbandry, use of vaccines andimproving biosecurity for disease containment.

Improve awareness of the NDA‘s regulations and professional obligations of those responsible forantimicrobial prescribing, dispensing and use.

Thank You For Listening!

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