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Report 2 of 3: Milky Whey
- Tanzania
In Tanzania, as in many parts of the developing world, small-scale dairying is an important agricultural activity whose products provide regular income for poor farmers’ families. For these people, however, the cost of the cattle represents a large capital investment so it is very important that the animals remain in good health and able to produce high quality milk. In the small-scale dairying system, many of the cattle are crosses between European breeds and indigenous breeds. The cattle face many risks, including infection with parasites, viruses and bacteria. The treatment of diseases with antibiotics and other drugs is expensive and adds further to the farmers’ costs. There are also growing concerns, world-wide, about small amounts of antibiotics appearing in milk as these might lead to increased drug-resistance in human diseases, especially where milk is sold untreated. The collaborative project, run by the Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania and the Universities of Liverpool, Glasgow and Reading in the UK, included an investigation into the problems of the disease mastitis. This disease is very painful for the cow and results in unusable milk - which can be financially disastrous for the farmer. Among others, an objective of the project was to devise sustainable, environmentally sound and cost-effective methods of controlling mastitis and other diseases. The project, funded by the UK government’s Department for International Development, targets poor farmers with a few animals – the average farmer only has one milking cow and 3 or 4 others.
Mastitis
A study of dairy cattle on 400 farms was carried out in two regions of Tanzania – the hot, humid coastal region of Tanga and the dry, cool highland area of Iringa – to discover the extent of various diseases and their effects on incomes. In Iringa, it found that mastitis occurred frequently but was often unrecognised by the farmers. The symptoms include clots in the milk, which is watery and discoloured, and the cow’s udder is swollen and painful. Some 16 % of the farmers interviewed described having seen the mastitis symptoms but had not recognised the disease. Only about half of the affected cows were treated. The result of this lack of recognition and treatment is persistent infection and poor milk production and up to 80% of dairy cows showed some level of mastitis infection. The problem was also found to be greatest among the cows in rural farms.
One of the contributing causes of mastitis infection is basic cleanliness of the dairy cattle and their surroundings. Normally, the cows’ udders are washed before milking but the simple fact that the same cloth is used for several animals can actually help to spread the disease. Washing of the udders by hand rather than with a cloth can help to reduce the risk. The project showed that, in rural farms, when washing was done with a cloth more than 40% of cows suffered from mastitis whereas with hand washing, this was reduced to about 20%.
Mastitis: udder is swollen and painful
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The answer
Since small-holder dairying is the preferred system for the provision of milk in Tanzania and is the main source of year-round income for many Tanzanian farmers, it is vitally important that knowledge and understanding of animal-health issues are provided to the farmers and those who support them.
Having identified the extent of the mastitis problem, the project set about devising treatment methods and ways of bringing the messages to the farmers and others in a position to help. As well as looking into mastitis, the project also addressed other diseases, so the programme of information and education which was developed was able to cover many aspects of animal health which affected the farmers and their families.
A programme of workshops and village meetings was set up. A workshop involving extension officers, village-based animal health workers and village leaders was presented by Tanzanian and UK veterinary surgeons, together with the staff of the Southern Highlands Development Programme. Participative approaches included presentations, practical work, videos and discussion groups on recognising, preventing and controlling mastitis. The hidden effects and costs of mastitis were also highlighted, as were the possible risks to humans from disease and drugs. Action plans for the treatment and control of mastitis were developed.
Six village meetings were attended by 150 people, including cattle owners and their families. Promotional materials, such as posters and tee-shirts, have been distributed as part of the programme to raise awareness of the problem among the affected communities.
The training and extension services have already raised awareness of the problem among farmers and are helping them to understand the importance of diseases control among their animals. Supporting laboratory services, accessible through the extension workers, make it possible for suspected mastitis cases to be checked so that remedies can be put into operation as soon as possible. With a much better understanding of the disease, the farmers can expect to see an increase in the quantity, quality and safety of the milk their cattle produce.
Village children delivering milk
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The sustainability of the project is being assured through the training of Tanzanian scientific staff who will be able to continue the support to animal health extension workers and their farmer clients.
For further information on this project, please contact :
Julie Fitzpatrick
Division of Farm Animal Medicine and Production
Department of Veterinary Clinical Studies
University of Glasgow Veterinary School
Bearsden Road
Bearsden
Glasgow G61 1QH
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)141 330 5735 Fax: +44 (0)330 5729
Email: j.fitzpatrick@vet.gla.ac.uk
This document is an output from a project funded by the UK Department For International Development (DFID) for the benefit of developing countries. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the DFID.
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