200,000 cattle at risk in the Gambia
27/11/2012
Lamin Sain said the government has launched a rapid response task force after contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) was discovered, to control the situation as soon as possible.
He said a vaccination programme would commence at the beginning of December and advised farmers not to move cattle, to minimise risk of contagion and to prevent the disease spreading to uninfected herds.
He estimated the loss would be nearly two billion dalasis ($64.5 million), based on the statistics from Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
The 2011 agricultural census in the country estimated the cattle population at 390,000 heads.
CBPP is a lung disease that affects cattle, buffalo and yaks. It is caused by bacteria and has an incubation period of between three weeks and six months.
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