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Obert Chifamba— 

Cool temperatures, high humidity and above-normal rainfall. That aptly sums up the ideal conditions, which always climax as the perfect storm for high tick infestations in cattle. And with predictions of normal to above normal rains this season, cattle farmers should brace for a highly possible showdown with the pest.This article will take cattle farmers on a gentle walk through the familiar terrain of common, yet lethal tick inspired diseases that need to be curtailed to avoid unnecessary animal losses. And, using clear and uncluttered language, the article will also apportion most blame on cattle deaths to the farmers.

All cattle farmers acknowledge that the biggest threat to the health of their cattle during summer seasons has always been from that nuisance called the tick. Ticks are known to account for 20 percent of cattle deaths recorded in the country annually, which perfectly accords them the ‘clear and present danger’ tag that should incite action from farmers every time the dry season makes way for the rains.

For some strange reason, some farmers deliberately pay a blind eye to this threat posed by ticks and only begin to acknowledge the risk when they record casualties in their herds. The Department of Veterinary Services has always complained about farmers that default on their dipping fee payments resulting in their cattle being sent away without dipping.

The department works hand in hand with a Livestock Development Committee that comprises cattle farmers from that area in collecting dipping fees that are charged at the rate of $2 per animal per year. This money is used to partly finance the procurement of dipping chemicals and the general maintenance of most small-scale dip tanks, of course with help from the Government.

Some farmers, according to the Department of Veterinary Services, pay their dipping fees erratically or may not even pay a cent leaving the committee with the unpopular task of screening the defaulting from the compliant ones every dipping day and sending them away.

Director of the department, Dr Josphat Nyika conceded that compliance was a huge problem so at times they are forced to wait for defaulters and descend on them when they come for various other services and make sure they pay up and clear their arrears.

Dr Nyika explained that there is a Statutory Instrument on cattle cleansing under the Animal Health Act, which makes it mandatory for farmers to send their cattle for dipping whenever the Department of Veterinary Services deems it necessary and with time, many farmers who do not abide by these regulations may find themselves at the wrong end of the law- facing arrest.

Zimbabwe’s cattle sector is currently valued at over $2 billion, which makes it a critical national resource that should be protected and preserved at all times so if farmers deliberately ignore instructions to promote the welfare of the cattle then the law must be called in.

Common tick-borne diseases include redwater, gall sickness and heartwater among others. Of course this is besides the extensive damage to the hide, which the animals suffer while they can also lose up to one and half litres of blood daily to ticks when there are real infestations.

In general, ticks can carry various diseases detrimental to cattle, other livestock and even humans. Because of this year’s prime conditions, it is important to evaluate tick loads on cattle and, if necessary, institute control measures to limit diseases brought on by various species of ticks.

Tick activity is usually at its highest during the rainy seasons and these are also the times when many farmers find themselves licking bruised egos after losing their most prized assets- the cattle. Maybe the farmers can always get an excuse in the fact that they may be finding it too taxing to pay another $2 per beast in levies that are collected by Rural District Councils (RDCs) purportedly for development of critical infrastructure then the same amount for dipping again.

Of course RDCs have not endeared themselves to anyone in the farming communities, as they just collect levies that are not accounted for and when cattle farmers develop cold feet when there are other payments to be made, it may be easier to understand where they are coming from. There are no roads, no dams or even paddocks to talk of, which farmers may look at and see the value of their contributions.

The Department of Veterinary Services has since engaged RDCs to establish how the levies are being used. They too, like the farmers, want to see the levies being put to good use so that the farmers do not feel cheated out of their hard earned cash. Remember they are seasonal earners that need to see their earnings making an impact on their livelihoods.

Anyway, the issue of taxes being charged by RDCs is not the subject for today. The crux of the matter here is that farmers must play the biggest part in saving their cattle because to them,cattle are more than just simple economic assets whose value is reckoned in terms of the milk or meat they produce or the draught power they provide.

They are assets endowed with an assortment of attributes ranging from the production of milk, meat, manure to fertilize crops, insurance against unforeseen contingencies and a form of capital asset to finance the occasional expenditure.

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