December 2, 2013

India reports FMD cattle deaths in Mysore district

The first incident of FMD outbreak in the district was reported at Bannur in T. Narsipur taluk in the second week of August. All 595 cases are currently eligible to receive compensation. Among other taluks, as many as 77 head of cattle died in H.D. Kote and K.R. Nagar taluks, 43 in Hunsur taluk, 15 in Periyapatna taluk and four in Nanjangud taluk. Most of the dead animals were calves.

Deputy Director of Department of Animal Husbandry, Devadas, said that one or two cattle deaths were still being reported from certain parts of the district. After reports were received from all taluks, the department, including veterinarians, send a proposal to the Commissionerate of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services to release US$33,000 for compensation to 124 beneficiaries in the four taluks - four in Nanjangud, 39 in Hunsur, 66 in K.R. Nagar and 15 in Periyapatna, Devadas said.

According to government order, compensation for the death of a cow will be a maximum of US$400, followed by US$320 for a bullock and buffalo, and US$160 for each calves.

Apart from veterinary inspectors and other employees, a total of 91 veterinarians were involved in tackling the problem in Mysore district so far. Meanwhile, the taluk-level committees appointed for the purpose of ascertaining the exact cause of cattle death had run into a problem where they were under pressure from some farmers to attribute the deaths of their cattle to FMD.

For instance, initial reports stated that Mysore taluk had recorded as many as 170 deaths of head of cattle, but after the committee made thorough investigation the number came down to 56, Devadas said. Similarly, initial toll from T. Narsipur was 720. However, after verifications, it came down to 323. In most cases, claimants were not able to provide proof for the deaths of animals.

Among the causes of death, some had died due to wrong 'drenching', which is the incorrect administration of gruel to the affected cattle. Most farmers were unaware of the right way of feeding animals, resulting in aspiratory pneumonia. Hemorrhagic septicaemia (HS), a bacterial infection, had also accounted for certain deaths, a laboratory report confirmed.