COIMBATORE: Pollachi farmers voiced concerns over the lack of measures by the district animal husbandry department to prevent lumpy skin disease, after a four-month-old calf died in Devambadi village on Monday. Pollachi MLA wrote to the state government demanding a survey to identify the number of cattle affected by the disease.
With several cattle succumbing to the disease across the country, Tamil Nadu government has directed the animal husbandry department to vaccinate animals against lumpy skin disease. Dr R Perumalsamy, regional joint director of the animal husbandry department said, “The disease is caused by houseflies, mosquitoes and external parasites and the main reason is poor hygiene in the shed.
So far, we have identified 42 cattle with symptoms in the district. The samples of the deceased calf in Pollachi have been sent to Central University Laboratory in Chennai to ascertain the cause of death.” The department has formed six special teams to screen cattle in north and south Pollachi, he added.
Meanwhile, citing the present situation, MLA V Jayaraman wrote to the state government seeking steps to conduct a survey to ascertain the number of affected cattle. In his letter to the animal husbandry minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan, he claimed that Pollachi is affected by the disease as it is near to Kerala, where the virus was reported.
According to the district animal husbandry department, so far 1.01 lakh cattle have been vaccinated. The district has a total of Rs 2.63 lakh cattle. At least 90% of the animal population has to be vaccinated to prevent the lumpy skin disease, said sources.