April 25, 2013

The livelihood of the cattle farmers of the Eastern Province Batticaloa district of Sri Lanka was affected by a cattle disease spreading in the area.

Farmers said that around 1,000 cattle have died due to the disease recently. They said the cattle died without taking food due to the disease. The milk production has also been affected.

Veterinary sources said that the cause for the cattle deaths was parasites spread by flies. They recommended removing the affected cows away from flies for treatment and using pesticides to destroy flies.

Meanwhile, figures released by the Central Bank showed that milk production in Sri Lanka has increased by 28% last year.

The Central Bank report said the development programmes launched by the government to boost to milk production in the country and rearing cattle has helped in the increase of the milk production.

Sri Lanka recently imported 500 high breed dairy cows from Australia in a measure to boost the dairy industry in the country.

Sri Lanka plans to increase its domestic dairy production to 100% of self-sufficiency by 2016.