Kirinyaga dairy farmers trained on disease control after outbreaks

Kirinyaga county has launched an extensive animal diseases sensitisation campaign following reported cases of Foot and Mouth and Lumpy Skin diseases.

The campaign aims at equipping livestock farmers with crucial information on prevention, detection and proper management of diseases.

Agriculture, Livestock and Veterinary executive John Gachara said the county has recently experienced an outbreak of Foot and Mouth and lumpy skin diseases that have since been contained.

“Some farmers reported that their livestock had symptoms of the two diseases and when we sent our officers to the ground, we discovered that there was lack of adequate knowledge on prevention and detection of the diseases,” he said.

Private practitioners, government veterinary officers and officials from dairy cooperatives have also been trained to help them respond swiftly during similar outbreaks.

He said together with stakeholders, the devolved unit has been able to develop a livestock farmers’ education programme. This is being conducted across the county by extension officers.

Kirinyaga, he said, is a transit point for livestock from Eastern and North Eastern part of the country, and is prone to communicable livestock diseases.

“The sensitisation campaign will empower farmers with the knowledge and tools they need to protect their animals and by extension, their livelihoods,” he said.

Gachara added that the county has more than 90,000 dairy cattle and over 30,000 dairy goats.

The farmers are congregated in four points in every ward where they are trained to spot and manage diseases.

Governor Anne Waiguru said the initiative is part of an ongoing dairy sector development programme that seeks to increase milk production and earn farmers more money.

The governor said diseases pose a serious threat to the dairy sector and necessitates training of farmers on how to best to tend to their cattle.

Efforts by the devolved unit and stakeholders have seen milk production rise from 2.5 litres per cow per day to 7.8 litres. The county plans to raise daily production to 12 litres per cow.

“We have offered subsidised artificial insemination services and animal feeds to over 140,000 households. This seeks to improve on breeds and increase milk production,” Waiguru said.

Apart from foot and mouth disease and lumpy skin disease, the training is also focusing on other ailments like Anthrax, Rift Valley Fever, Rabies and Black Quarter which also pose a threat to both livestock and people.

Expert veterinarians and agricultural extension officers are leading the training sessions that started two weeks ago.

Livestock farmers have lauded the initiative saying it will help them reduce losses by stemming the recurrence of diseases.

“I have been trained to spot early signs of livestock disease and the steps to take if my animals have the symptoms. This is exactly what I needed considering I have previously spent a lot of money treating diseases," said Joseph Munyi, from Togonye, Mwea East.

Munyi said he will be taking mass vaccinations more seriously to shield his herd from disease attacks.