Cattle go blind as farmers use agrochemicals to fight ticks

Jan 26, 2022

“The use of agrochemicals by cattle farmers to control ticks and to prevent tick-borne diseases is putting our districts in danger."

Cattle go blind as farmers use agrochemicals to fight ticks

Abdulkarim Ssengendo
Journalist @New Vision

Rwampara district has been hit by animal blindness, the district principal veterinary officer has disclosed.

Dr Deogratious Begumisa said cases have been reported in almost every village in the district. A similar problem has also been reported in Kiruhura and Kazo districts.

Begumisa said the problem is triggered by farmers who use agrochemicals to control ticks.

The practice resulted from tick acaricide resistance, which has hit many districts in cattle corridors.

“The use of agrochemicals by cattle farmers to control ticks and to prevent tick-borne diseases is putting our districts in danger. We are receiving cases of animal blindness in almost all the districts,” Begumisa said.

Tick-borne diseases constitute the biggest challenge to livestock production and productivity in Uganda, causing direct and indirect losses to farmers.

Direct losses include decreased milk and meat production, low live weight gain, mortality, hide damage and morbidity.

Tick control in Uganda largely depends on indiscriminate use of acaricides under classessynthetic pyrethroids, organophosphates and amidines, and of recent macrocyclic lactones.

Accorduing to Begumisa, farmers in Rwampara and other districts complained that ticks have developed resistance to almost all acaricide available on the local market and asked the Government to get them better and effective drugs.

“We have resorted to using agrochemicals in controlling ticks because we see it as the only alternative since all acaricides failed,” Geoffrey Byarugaba, a farmer from Rwibogo in Bugamba sub-county, Rwampara district, said.

Begumisa said they are worried the practice will affect the growth of the livestock sector.

The same problem is faced in Kiruhura and Kazo districts. Kazo district chairperson, the Rev. Samuel Katugunda, said there are blind cows in almost all sub-counties.

He said farmers are using agro-chemicals as the only option for killing ticks.

“Even on my farm, I have blind cows because we use agro-chemicals and this is happening on many other farms,” he said.

Mbarara district chairperson Didas Tabaro called for tough measures to protect the livestock sector.

Tabaro said the practice will be uncontrollable if adopted by farmers in all districts.

He asked the National Drug Authority (NDA) to carry out a campaign to sensitise farmers on the dangers of using agro-chemicals on animals, in addition to apprehending those who do not follow the set guidelines.

NDA warns that the practice is dangerous even to human life as it causes cancer. The commonest agro-chemical used by farmers to control ticks is Dudu acelamectin 2 in 1.

Abiaz Rwamwiri, the NDA communications manager, warned farmers that the product contains a molecule called abamectin that is present in another class of lactones, which is not yet widely used in Uganda.

He explained that Abamectin falls under the avermectin family of the macrocyclic lactones.

The abamectin in agrochemicals is specifically formulated for use in plants, not animals.

Dr Kenneth Kiiza, the NDA manager for southwestern region, warned farmers that inappropriate use of the product could lead to residues of abamectin in milk and meat, which could pose a risk to public health.

The farmers said extension workers have not done enough to equip farmers with knowledge on the proper use of drugs.

In Kiruhura district, farmers also testified to using agrochemicals to spray animals.

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