WESTERN – For a decade, cattle farmers in Western Uganda have continued to deal with persistent tick resistance which has paralyzed the cattle farming business in the region.
Farmers from the districts of Kiruhura, Lyantonde, Sembabule, Isingiro, Mbarara, Ibanda and Kazo that form the Western cattle corridor have decried the unending fight against the tick-borne diseases which are claiming a number of animals.
Ticks are parasitic arachnids that are part of the mite superorder Pisiformes which cause anemia, hide damage and can be a vector to suck the blood of livestock.
Despite a number of interventions put in place including temporary quarantines or total quarantine for years; vaccinations and formation of ordinances by respective districts, the ticks have persisted.
Dr Jeannie Muhindo, Head of Veterinary at National Drug Authority says, the authority has known tick resistance issues for the last 8 years.
“Tick resistance has been there since 2013 and the government has done a lot of interventions including tracing contacts of visitors, colliding molecules but you find farmers invaded. The actual effects are high because they are not meant for animals,” said Muhindo.
Some of the side effects by agrochemicals applied on animals include; infertility, blindness and developing of wounds on the animal skin.
Speaking to Dr Grace Asiimwe Karimu, the DVO Kiruhura, confirmed that farmers use crop chemicals like larva and Dudu-cyper to spray their animals and have started registering loss of sight in animals.
Karimu adds that by losing sight, dairy cattle no longer eat and drink normally which has led to low milk production in the district.
Col James Mwesigye, who doubles as a farmer and Resident City Commissioner (RCC) Mbarara attributed fake drug circulations to corrupt law enforcers who let fake drug dealers move on scot-free.
Unlike most farmers blaming the government on fake acaricides; Gadson Nuwagaba, Chairman Shuuku Dairy Co-op in Sheema district attributes tick resistance to farmers’ reluctance to observe proper biosafety standards and poor storage of acaricides which has contributed to increasing opportunistic infection in livestock.
“The government is doing its part; the challenge is with the farmers because some farmers get improper measures of the acaricides while others keep it poorly and some acaricides are adulterated,” says Nuwagaba.
According to Dr Ronald Bameka, the DVO Lyantonde, tick resistance has stood its taste in Lyantonde since 2015 claiming more than 300 heads of cattle in the district.
Bameka adds that tick resistance is most deadly in three sub-counties of Kinunka, Kashagama, Ryakajura in Lyantonde District.
James Ndibajuna, Chairman of Abesigana Kashari Dairy Farmers Co-op Society Ltd puts blame of counterfeit acaricides like Tick Burn Spray on government ‘s decentralization where business people are freely starting up vet drug shops and bringing in any products to the open market.
“We have been using acaricides like gamatox, supona, milbetraz and all these were under the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) but currently all these were put under the Ministry of health; do you think the health of people is the same like the health of animals? Do you think the one who conducts research on human health can get similar results to one who takes research on animals? So according to me that’s where the problem came from,” Ndibajuna explains.
Appeal
In 2019, the then, State Minister for Animal Husbandry, Joy Kabatsi launched Shs.100 billion project in Lyantonde, recommended by the President as a response to containment of tick resistance and tick-borne diseases in Uganda.
Dr Andrew Bakashaba, the DVO says, Mbarara has started registering private veterinary practitioners in the district to prevent vicarious actions by some of the unprofessional vets.
“Please advise our farmers to use our government veterinary staff or accredited private veterinary practitioners but this business of someone who completed farm school is also injecting the animals must stop because the minimum qualification for someone to practice is a diploma in animal production to be registered as a practicing veterinarian in Uganda,” Bakashaba emphasized.
Ham Kansiime, proprietor of Mukabel Farm Solutions Ltd, urged livestock cooperatives to start business hubs to survive purchasing fake acaricides from the open market.
“I appeal to the farmers to sit down and speak one language like for instance the price for their milk and type of acaricides they use. You know why ticks are now becoming a problem is because you find farmer X is using Nirotraz another one is using supona,” Kansiime said.
Mwesigye appeals to courts of law to give heavy punishments to people found selling fake acaricides to the farmers.
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“People selling to us fake acaricides are murderers, they should be heavily sentenced but because of the corruption in this country, they get away with it,” he bitterly complained.
Dr Muhindo appealed to the general public to be vigilant and report any suspected counterfeits and any other drug related adverse effects, product quality efficacy issues to National Drug Authority (NDA) or to the District Veterinary Officers (DVOs).
She however says, the Ministry of Agriculture has got no policy to guide the import control, distribution and use of agrochemicals and acaricides.
“Currently there is no policy at the moment but we are waiting for the policy direction from MAAIF whereby cabinet has directed the Ministry to advise the authority or even farmers on import control to zone the molecules,” Dr Muhindo said.
According to MAAIF statistics, Uganda imports an estimated 370,000 litres of different classes of acaricides, and 83,000 litres of them anti tick-borne diseases drugs (parvaquone, Buparvaquone among others) causing an annual forex outflow worth over Shs 300 billion for only Tick-and Tick-Borne Diseases (TTBDs).
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