Growing livestock population worries experts

Government has been asked to come up with policy interventions that will address effects of the growing livestock population by 2050.

Information from the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) in 2015 indicates that there about 39.9m livestock in Uganda and by 2050, the number will have increased to over 101 million.

As the population increases, it will come along will with effects such as more diseases shared between humans and animals, environment degradation and effects people's livelihoods.

This is according to the country representative, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Alhaji Jallow, at the launch of the Africa Sustainable Livestock 2050 project at Hotel Africana on Thursday.

The project aims at ensuring that Africa livestock systems are sustainable and pose minimal or no public health risks to Uganda's population that will have grown to over 100 million by 2050.

The launch that attracted veterinary doctors, district directors of health services, policy makers, non-government organizations was aimed at coming up with suggestions that can be incorporated into existing government policies, to respond to challenges associated with a huge livestock population.

"The project will identify opportunities and threats associated with livestock systems and come up with priority reforms and areas that need more investment or capacity building to respond to the anticipated challenge," said Jallow.

According to Jallow the project is timely because Africa Sustainable Livestock 2050 (ASL2050) focuses on better understanding of how the livestock sector will look like in the future; on assessing what will be its potential public health, environmental and livelihood implications.

It will also help in identifying what policy actions to take now to promote sustainable and healthy livestock systems in the future, with the specific objective of reducing the risk of zoonotic disease emergence.

"Understanding long-term changes in livestock systems and their likely impacts on society is, therefore, important in formulating and implementing policies that ensure healthy livestock systems for future generations,"

However some people argue that with a big population of livestock, there will be enough livestock products to eat but Sarah Mubiru, the project focal person said these will have associated challenges such as diseases transmitted through meat, milk, and eggs among others.

"For example 80% of the milk in Uganda is sold through informal means and most of it is not pasteurized, making it easy for diseases like brucellosis to get into human," said Mubiru.

The huge population will need more space for grazing; leading to soil erosion and ,will also lead to contamination of water sources through chemicals sprayed on them to avert disease causing organisms, she added.

She however noted that much as ministries are taking major steps towards ensuring sustainable development, but they still lack focused plans for livestock.

The three year project, funded by USAID is being implemented in six countries which include Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda.

These are expected to share experiences on major changes in their livestock systems in the coming decades, investment options they are taking to control and manage zoonotic diseases, she added.

What stake holders say about the project

Dr Cerino Achar, district health officer Kotido wants the program to address some causes of disease spread among livestock which find their way in humans.

He said his districts lack adequate water and pasture to keep them during prolonged dry spells. As they move in search of water and pasture, they pick up diseases.

 "Let the program consider putting in place valley dams to provide constant water for livestock and early maturing pastures to reduce on the movement of cattle to cut down diseases transmission," said Achar.

Dr. Henry Mulondo, the Kotido district veterinary officer added that Karamojong region has the biggest livestock population, estimated at 350,000 including those from Kenya, and neighboring districts of Lango. But this has led to conflicts with neighbors.

 "I hope the program has that element of resolving such conflicts include those between UWA and farmers who encroach on their land for pastures," he said.

Dr D. Seruga from Kanungu wants the project to take into account an element of disease diagnostic because the districts neighbors a water body, national park and a forest keeping indigenous people like the Batwa who interact closely with animals in the wild. In the process diseases like brucellosis, river blindness, and typhoid among others are easily spread.