1. Volume 05 Issue 01 May - 2014
7
An Important Dairy Cattle DiseaseIn Summer Seasonfor Dairy In FY15
Bovine Mastitis
to Dairy Sector
Supreme Wake up call
Protocols for Dairy Animals
Infertility Management
Improving reproductive efficiency
for increasing milk production
Introduction
India possesses the largest livestock ruminant population
in the world (520.6 millions), and accounts for the largest
number of cattle (16.1%), buffalo (57.9%), second largest
number of goat (16.7%) and third highest number of sheep
(5.7%)intheworld.
India ranks first in milk production (121.8 million tonnes)
in world but per capita availability (281 gm/day) is far
lesser than many developed countries which may be due to
several factors out of which heat stress is one of the
importantcause.
High temperature of tropics along with high humidity, in
particular global warming to a great extent impairs the
production (growth, milk quantity and quality),
reproductive performance, metabolism, health status and
immune response of farm animals. The surface air
st
warming in the 21 century by best estimate will range
from 1.1 to 2.9°C for a “low scenario” and of 2.4 to 6.4°C
for a “high scenario” which will vary depending on the
geographic zones of theWorld. Climate change projections
for India suggest that temperature is expected to increase
between 2.3 and 4.8°C because of doubling of carbon
dioxide concentration in the atmosphere which would
directlyorindirectlyaffecttheperformanceofanimals.
There are many directly deteriorating effects of heat stress
on animals which involves reduction of feed intake,
increase in respiration rate and water intake and changes in
hormonal signals that affect target tissue responsiveness to
environmental stimuli and would lead to illness, morbidity
andmortalityofanimals.
Indirect impacts follow more intricate pathways and
include those deriving from the attempt of animals to adapt
to thermal environment or from the influence of climate on
microbial populations, distribution of vector-borne
diseases, host resistance to infectious agents, feed and
water shortages, or food-borne diseases. If exposure to
high air temperature is prolonged, lower feed intake is
Positive Growth
2 4 6
Effects of Heat Stress on Feed Intake and Digestibility
in Ruminants: Recommended Feeding Strategies
Contd. on page 5
Managing Dairy Animal
3
DearVets,
The dairy sector is witnessing the
positive growth. The NDDB (National
Dairy Development Board) expects
growth of around 5.5% (year to year) in
milk production for the coming year.
However, Scientists fear that climate change is likely
to affect milk production in the coming year. Our
country is likely to be more vulnerable due to the
overdependence of higher population on agriculture
sector.
It is in this context the global experts are debating for
suitable solutions. Recently, the Animal Nutrition
Society of India (ANSI) organized a global animal
nutrition conference on ,” Climate Resilient
Livestock Feeding Systems for Global Food
Security” to address the problems for finding suitable
solutionswas agreatsuccess.
In this issue bring to you topics of interest pertaining
to effects of heat stress on feed intake and digestibility
in ruminants, managing dairy animals in summer
season, role of livestock in climate change, bovine
mastitis: an importance dairy cattle disease and
infertility management protocols for dairy animals.
Hope you would enjoyreading.
We would look forward for your practical experiences
and views on minimizing the impact of livestock
production owing to climate change. Newer
technologies like hydroponics technology for green
fodder production @365 is been promoted for saving
land, water and labour to reduce the climate change
impact.
Dr. Anup Kalra
followed by a decline in the secretion of calorigenic
hormones (growth hormone, catecholamines and
glucocorticoids in particular) involved in thermogenic
processes of digestion and metabolism. All these events
together would tend to reduce metabolic heat production
and might be responsible for modifications of energy,
lipid, protein and mineral metabolism, and liver function
inthebody.
EffectsofHeatStress:
Effecton nutrientuptake and digestibility
Increase in environmental temperature casues severe
damage to the physiology, metabolism and health of
animals. Increased heat load decreases nutrient uptake in
almost all species and in case of cattle, the nutrient uptake
decreases upto 30% of dry matter intake. Digestibility at
25°C to 30°C did not change whereas digestibility
increased at 35°C and then decreased at 40°C could be
attributed to change in rumen environment (pH, rumen
temperature, rumen motility, rumen flora and fauna) due
to higher intensity of thermal stress. Feed intake in
lactating cows begins to decline at ambient temperatures
of 2526°C and reduces more rapidly above 30°C and at
40°C; the dietary intake may decline by as much as 40%
resulting in a negative energy balance (NEB) and loses
significant amount of body weight and body score.
During heat stress, DMI was reduced in the lactating goats
because of decreased metabolic rate and more heat
production. The concentrate intake during cool, comfort,
hot-dry and hot-humid exposures did not change in
buffalo calves whereas, wheat straw intake decreased
significantly by 29.65% and 30.09% during hot-dry and
hot-humidexposures respectively.
Effecton ruminationand rumenmotility
The rise in environment temperature alters the basic
physiological mechanism of rumen which negatively
affectsthenutrientenergybalanceofruminants.
Heat stress reduces the dry matter intake, decreases
ruminal motility and contraction, changes the
fermentation pattern and volatile fatty acid production,
affects the digestibility and nutrient utilization, and thus
impairs the productive and reproductive efficiency of
animals. Increase in environmental temperature reduces
the rumination time and also depresses the appetite by
having a direct negative effect on appetite centre of the
hypothalamus.
It was also reported that rumination decreases during
dehydration of animals resulting from heat stress.
Moreover, blood flow to rumen epithelium is depressed
1 2 2 1 1 2
Ramendra Das , M.V.Choudhari , Nishant Verma , Ashwani Arya , Dhaman Kumar and Rakesh Kumar
1. M.V.Sc Scholar, Dairy Cattle Breeding Division, NDRI
2.Ph.D Scholar, Dairy Cattle Breeding Division, NDRI
Appelite Stimulant & Digetive Tonic
2. Visitors at Ayurvet Stall
ASK THE EXPERT
Q.What is inbreeding? How will it affect my
livestock? Vikas Kumar,Delhi
A. Inbreeding is breeding between close relatives. If
practiced repeatedly, it often leads to a reduction in
genetic diversity, and the increased gene expression
of negative recessive traits, resulting in inbreeding
depression. This may result in inbred individuals
exhibiting reduced health and fitness and lower
levels of fertility. Livestock breeders often practice
inbreeding to "fix" desirable characteristics within a
population. However, they must then cull unfit
offspring, especiallywhen trying to establish the new
anddesirabletraitintheirstock.
Q.How do I careforanewborn calf?
Swati Verma, Bareilly, U.P.
A. Nature usually runs its course and everything goes
fine with newborn calves. But there are several
things that a rancher needs to check for, and several
things you can do to make sure that your calf gets off
to a good start. In order to survive, your calf
absolutely must get a good dose of colostrum.
Colostrum is the first milk from its momma and is
rich in nutrients it needs for the calf to survive. Your
primary concern when you first spot your newborn
calf is to make sure that the calf gets up and nurses
from the momma. If there is some problem
preventing the calf from nursing, you either need to
fix the problem or give the calf an alternative
colostrum (such as frozen colostrum or dry-mix
colostrum).
Q. What is Brucellosis? PradeepKumar,Delhi
A. Brucellosis is caused by the bacterium Brucella
abortus and it is spread via infected placentas,
vaginal discharges and aborted fetuses. Following
the ingestion of B. abortus, susceptible cows or
heifers may have abortions, retained placentas, weak
calves or infertility problems. Milk from an infected
cow also may harbor B. abortus. The infected milk
creates a public health problem because B. abortus
causesbrucellosis("undulantfever")inhumans.
Q. What is the cause of mastitis? What are the
clinicalsigns forit?And how can itbetreated?
Hari Om, Aligarh
A. Mastitis occurs most frequently when you have a
heavy milking cow and a calf that is not eating
enough. The down side of cows that produce lots of
milk is they are more likely to get mastitis and they
are harder to keep through the winter. The up side is
they raise the biggest calves. So you have to maintain
abalance.More is notnecessarilybetter.
Page 2
In an effort to educate and guide our customers, team
Ayurvet had participated in various farmers events in
collaboration with the agriculture / veterinary universities
andfiledveterinarians.
Recently, Ayurvet team participated in melas as
mentioned–
EHyderabad International Trade Exposition during
February 2014 organized by HITEX International Trade
Expositions (a division of L & T) in association with
Active Exhibition & Conference at Madhapur,
Hyderabad.
E8th PDFA International Dairy Show & Agri Expo
during February 2014 at Jagraon, Ludhiana organized by
PDFA(Progressive DairyFarmer'sAssociation)
EProgressive Punjab Agriculture Summit 2014 during
February 2014 at SAS Nagar (Mohali), Punjab
organized by Punjab Government in association with
PHD ChambersofCommerceandIndustry.
EGPDFA (Gujarat Progressive Dairy Farmers
Association) expo and cattle show on dairy sector
during January 2014 at Chikhodra Road, Anand (The
MilkCapitalofIndia).
MAY ISSUE 2014
th
E8 series of IAI Dairy Expo during February 2014 at
Pragati Maidan, New Delhi organized by Pixie Consulting
SolutionsLtd.
EPusa Krishi Vigyan Mela 2014 during February 2014 at
IARI, New Delhi.
EPashudhan Evam Kisan Mela on the theme of
“Managing Livestock & Agriculture Production in
Context of Food Security” during March 2014 organized
by DUVASU (U.P. Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Pashu
Chikitsa Vigyan Vishwa Vidyalaya Evam GoAnusandhan
Sansthan, Mathura and U.P. Seed Grower Association at
UniversityGround.
The experts and farmers appreciated the herbal scientifically
valdiatedsolutionsAyurvetforimprovingthefarmprofits.
The hydroponics technology for production of green feed
and the integrated approach of agriculture and livestock for
sustainabledevelopment.
This holistic approach of Ayurvet “5F” i.e. security for
Food, Feed, Fodder, Fertilizer and Fuel was appreciated and
understoodbythevisitors.
Positive Growth for Dairy in FY15
According to India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra), the dairy
sector is likely to witness positive growth, increase in market
size and milk production and strong rise in exports in the next
fiscal. India's milk sector is regarded as one of the world's
fastest growing market and the agency expects it to expand by
16.3 percent in FY'15 The positive outlook also stems from
increasing the government's initiatives on improving rural
income.The agency also assigned a stable outlook to the dairy
cooperatives (DCs) for FY'15. On the back of likely
favourable monsoons and strengthening farmer base of the
cooperative model, National Dairy Development Board
(NDDB) expects 5.47 percent year-on-year growth in milk
production in FY'15. It said export opportunities have opened
upasmilkproductionishigherthandomesticdemand.
Climate Change a Big
Challenge
Dr. A. K. Srivastava,
VC, NDRI, Karnal
Scientists fear climate change is likely to affect milk
production in the coming year. “The impacts of climate
change are global, but countries like India are more
vulnerable in view of the high population depending on
agriculture. Around 1.5 million tonne of milk will reduce
every year if the climate changes continue, “according to
Dr.A. K. Srivastava, Director, NDRI, “Although we are on
top in the world with 132.8 million tonne milk production,
the changing climate is a big challenge for animal
production”. and supply of feed and fodder in the country. He told that
we have to tap new feed resources and improvise the
utilisation of different agricultural by-products as
qualityanimalfeeds.
True to the topic of the seminar, Ayurvet made the
presentation on Hydroponics technology for
producation of green feed. Speaking to the delegates Dr.
Anup Kalra shared thatAyurvet ProGreen Hydroponics
produces quality green and conserves land, water and
time. He also shared the experience of SUMUL,
RAJUVAS, HLDB which have shown encouraging
results by feeding Hydroponics green feeds for
improvingAnimalhealthandproduction.
Animal Nutrition Society of
India in association with
Compound Livestock Feed
Manufacturers Association
of India (CLFMAof India) and VIV India is hosted a Global
Animal Nutrition Conference on the theme of , “ Climate
Resilient Livestock Feeding Systems for Global Food
th nd
Security” from 20 –22 April 2014 at Vivanta by Taj –
Yeshwantpur, Bengaluru. Honourable Governor of Goa,
Shri. Bharat Vir Wanchoo inaugurated the 'Global
Animal Nutrition Conference on 20th April 2014. The
Chief Guest emphasised the importance of livestock sector
in India's economy and livelihood security of marginal
farmers. Dr. S. Ayyappan, Secretary DARE and DG, ICAR
presided over the function. He asked the scientific and
development agencies to address the wide gap in demand
Global Animal Nutrition Conference at Bengaluru
Ayurvet Fecilitates Extension Education Through Farmers Forum
Dignitaries at Ayurvet stall
Dignitaries on dias
3. Page 3
this the extra protein and energy rich cakes and oils
approximately 0.8% of body weight should be fed to
counter the stress of high temperature for maintaining
normal milk production and other activities. Water should
be clean and available five to six times a day possibly cold
waterattheirdrinkingtime
Sheltermanagement:
Shelter plays a key role in production efficiency of high
producing dairy animals because it protects them from
extreme weather conditions and provides comfort. If the
animals are in discomfort due to summer ; alterations in
house should be made by covering the windows at day time
by jute bags, etc. and should be kept wet so cold air may
enter in. This will certainly protect the animals against hot
winds (loo). Spacing should be appropriate (3.5 sq. m. for
cows and 4 sq. m. for buffaloes). Bedding should be 1- 2
inches thick and cold. Windows
should be opened at night for air
and disinfection. Proper
ventilation in animal housing is
undisputedlyimportant.
Generalmanagement:
During a warm day the dairy
animal should be kept indoors
and in the loafing area at night.
The bathing, washing and
grooming should be carried out
in open area in early morning or
evenings and it should be
followed by water splashing to
preventitching,skindiseasesand
ectoparasites. Sunlightexposure
inearlymorningisgoodfordairy
animal's especially young dairy
calves. More quantity of green
fodder feeding is advised. It will
provide coolness, protein and
Tips for Managing Dairy Animals in Summer Season
1 2
Dr K S Dangi , Dr Rajinder Singh
1
Chairman Haryana Livestock Development Board & Former D.G. Dept of Animal Husbandry Department, Haryana
2
Sr Extension Specialist (Animal Sciences) Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Extension Center Rohtak
In summer the temperature rises up to 50 degree centigrade
and it badly affects the dairy animals. Consequently the
animals often go off feed, feverish and stressed. This
affects the milk production, health and reproduction of the
animal. Normal cow and buffalo body temperature ranges
between 101-102 degree Fahrenheit and suitable ambient
temperature favorable is 65-75 degree Fahrenheit. Severe
hot surroundings mean more energy and protein loss which
has to be compensated by giving extra calorie protein rich
feed and special care. However cows and buffaloes
freshening shortly before summer months produce less
total milk than other seasons. During this season
unfavorable temperature (very hot), low availability of
quality greens and digestible feed are the reasons for it.
Following is a list of do's and don'ts for their special care in
thisseason:
Feedingand watering:
Generally the dairy animal should be fed balanced ration
comprising of dry matter at the rate of 2.5 kg per 100 kg
body weight out of which one third should be from
concentrate mixture, one half from dry roughages and one
sixth from green roughages. Concentrate mixture should
comprise of grains (40%), oil cakes (32%), brans (25%),
mineral mixture (2%) and common salt (1%). Apart from
will be helpful in maintaining body temperature normal.
Green fodder contains carotene which converts into vitamin
A. It should be mixed with dry fodder in appropriate
proportion. Feed dry fodder at night when temperature is
low.Wallowingisrecommendedforbuffaloes.
Sanitation:
Animals should be fed clean and dust free feed and water.
Thorough cleaning of animals sheds, dung, urine, milking
parlour,teatsofmilchanimalsisalsoveryimportant
Vaccination:
Many diseases flare in summer stress. Vaccination against
various contagious diseases such as FMD, H.S., T.B., J.D.,
B.Q. etc. should be carried out about once or twice a year
according to the schedule. This would certainly avoid the
expenses incurred on routine treatment and production
lossesduetoillnessandwouldalsoimprovequalityofmilk.
In summer the temperature rises up to 50 degree centigrade and it badly affects the dairy animals. Consequently the animals often go off feed, feverish and stressed. This
affects the milk production, health and reproduction of the animal. During this season unfavorable temperature (very hot), low availability of quality greens and digestible
feedarethereasons forit.
MAY ISSUE 2014
vector populations into cooler areas (in higher attitude
areas: malaria and livestock tick-borne diseases) or into
more temperate zones (such as bluetongue disease in
northernEurope).
Climatic effects on livestock: Direct and/or
Indirect
Climate change may have direct or indirect effects on
livestock. The quantity and quality of the feed supplied to
the animal is a major factor but as well as the direct
relationship between the nutrition of the animal and its
thermal environment, modifications to the seasonal
availability of forage may have implications on animal
productionsystems.
Indirecteffects
Livestock numbers:Total GHG emissions from livestock
are positively related to the numbers of livestock. It is
likely that our systems will be under political and social
pressure to reduce livestock numbers to reduce the levels
of emissions. Additionally, lower numbers of more
productive animals will also contribute to more efficiency
ofproductionrelativetoemissions.
Breeding: Many non-genetic farm technologies that could
help to mitigate emissions require ongoing investment of
some sort to maintain the commercial benefit (e.g., dietary
Role of Livestock in Climate Change
1 2 3
D. K. Meena1 ,Gopal Sankhala2 and M. L. Meena
1 2 3
Ph.D. Scholar, DivisionofDairyExtension, NDRI, Karnal, PrincialScientistDivision of DairyExtension, NDRI, Karnal, Subject MatterSpecialist,KrishiVigyanKendra,Pali,Rajasthan
The specificities of Greenhouse Gas emissions
fromthelivestocksector
The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions profile of livestock
production is fundamentally different to that of other
sectors such as transport. The emissions result from
inherently variable, biological processes which are
extremely numerous and complex. There are limited
possibilities for managing these intractable emissions
arising from biological processes. Methane emissions
(CH4) arise from enteric fermentation by ruminant
animals and from manures whilst the application of
organic and inorganic fertilisers to soil can give rise to
nitrousoxide(N2O).
Climatechangeeffectson livestock
In pastoral and agro-pastoral systems, livestock are key
assests for poor people, providing multiple economic,
social, and risk management functions. The impacts that
climate change will bring about are expected to exacerbate
the vulnerability of livestock systems. For rural
communities losing livestock assets might lead to the
collapse into chronic poverty with long-term effects on
theirlivelihoods.
Livestockhealth
Major impacts on vector-borne disease: Expansion of
manipulation). Genetic improvement on the other hand is
effectively a permanent change and does not require
additional or continuing resources. Many breeding goals
for livestock species include production traits and
productionefficiencyandthishelpstoreduceemissions.
Crop and animalhealth
A new range of pests and diseases will affect our crop and
forage species with effects on the quantity and quality of
livestock feeds. Similarly, we will face new challenges in
the field of livestock disease. Diseases currently thought of
as “exotic” may become of importance whilst existing
diseases e.g. parasitic gastroenteritis may become more
widespread with increased costs of control and risks of
immunity developing. The link between climate changes
and diseases risks from various pathogens has been
increasingly recognized. The effect of climatic factors on
host parasite population dynamics is particularly evident in
northern altitudes where the occurrence and transmission
of parasites are strongly regulated by seasonality driven
changesinenvironmentaltemperatures.
Options derivedfromanimalmanagement
1. Improving the productivity of farm animals will lower
emissionsperunitproduced.
2. Potential modifications of the diet of ruminants may
Climate change, which can be defined as the misbalance, on the long term, of customary weather factors such as temperature, wind and rainfall characteristic of a specific
region on Earth, is likely to be one of the main challenges that human kind will face in the current century. The major scientific studies have shown that increasing average
temperature of the Earth is now a reality and increased concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere, due to human activities, mainly the emissions of carbon
dioxide resulting from combustion of fossil fuel contribute to the enhancement of global greenhouse effect, the disturbance of the radioactive forcing, and consequently the
intensificationofclimatechange phenomena.
Contd. on page 8
4. Page 4
Opportunity to Advertise in Livestock Future
corporate advertorial / logo / event information
Pleasesendinyourcheque/draftinfavourofAyurvetLimited,addressed
to6thFloor,SagarPlaza,VikasMarg,LaxmiNagarDisttCentre,Delhi-92.
Contact on (Tel.) 011-22455992-94, (Fax.) 011-22455991
e-mailswati@ayurvet.com/info@ayurvet.com
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Veterinarians,
is now easier!
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Veterinarians/
Animal Health Experts
bi-monthly
As per length and width of Livestock Future
Mastitis an inflammation of the mammary gland caused by
bacterial infection, trauma, or injury to the udder, remains
the most common and expensive disease affecting dairy
cattle throughout the world. Mastitis is caused by several
different bacteria that can invade the udder, multiply there
and produce harmful substances that result in inflammation.
Itreducestheproductivityofthecowaswellasthequalityof
milk causing enormous losses for breeders and
consequently,tothenationalincomeofthecountry.
Etiology
This disease can be caused by an infectious or non-
infectious etiological agent. The infectious type of mastitis
is the most important one that frequently occurs due to
infection by one and / or the other pathogens, such as
bacteria, viruses, mycoplasma, yeasts and algae (DaRong
et al, 2010). Classically, the mastitis pathogens may either
be contagious or environmental. The contagious
pathogens are the organisms which are adapted to survive
within the host, in particular within the mammary gland,
and are capable of establishing sub-clinical infections,
which are typically spread from cow to cow at or around
the time of milking (e.g. Staphylococcus aureus,
Streptococcus agalactiae, Str. Dysgalactiae) (Bradley,
2002). The environmental pathogens are opportunistic
invaders of the mammary gland which typically invade,
multiply, engender a host immune response and are rapidly
eliminated (e.g. Escherichia coli, Klebsiella species,
Enterobacter aerogees, Streptococcus uberis,
Corynebacterium bovis, Mycoplasma species, Serratia,
Pseudomonas, Proteus species, environmental
Streptococci)(BedadaandHiko,2011).
Despite intensive research, the etiology of around 20-35% of
clinicalcasesofbovinemastitiscannotbeestablishedreadily.
Types ofmastitis
Mastitis is mainly of two types. It may be Sub-clinical
type in which although there are no visible changes in the
appearance of the milk and / or the udder, milk production
decreases by 10% to 20% with undesirable effect on its
constituents and nutritional value rendering it of low
qualityandunfitforprocessing(RadyandSayed,2009).
Sub-clinical mastitis is the most common and
economically most harmful; and gradual decline in milk
production is its characteristic feature although there are
no visible or palpable external changes inspite of the
presenceofinfectionandinflammationintheudder.
The milk has a normal or slightly increased somatic cell
count. Normally the bacterial count of herd milk is not
affected and will remain below 50,000 per ml. It is
estimated that 50% of all cows have subclinical mastitis in
onequarteroftheirudder.
The other type is in which there is anClinical Mastitis
inflammatory reaction characterized by heat, pain,
swelling and redness of the udder, along with reduced as
wellasanabnormalnatureofmilkyield.
It is usually accompanied by a mild fever and the
animal is depressed. The affected quarter is sensitive to
touch and painful to the animal. If is notacute mastitis
attended and the inflammatory process persists for long, it
gets converted into which may furtherchronic mastitis
lead to a progressive fibrosis (hardness) of the gland
thereby rendering the milk secreting tissue unable to
produce any more milk. These changes are generally
incurable and permanent. Often one or more quarters or
even the whole udder may become permanently
dysfunctional.
Effecton dairyindustry
Mastitis is responsible for heavy economic losses due to
reduced milk yield (up to 70%), milk discard after
treatment (9%), treatment costs (75), premature culling
(14%) (Bhikane and Kawitkar, 2000), decrease in milk
quality and price due to high bacterial / somatic cell count,
increased risk of subsequent mastitis, herd replacement,
antibiotics residue in milk and its products and rejection by
processor and consumer (Harmon, 1994). Though cows
with clinical mastitis have more dramatic changes in milk
yield and composition than cows with subclinical mastitis,
Bovine Mastitis: An Important
Dairy Cattle Disease
by Anita Tiwari
Ph.D. Scholar, School of Public Health & Zoonoses, GADVASU, Ludhiana - 141004
Mastitis involves an inflammation of the mammary gland through bacterial infection, trauma, or injury to the
udder. One of the most common diseases incurring huge losses to the diary industry, it not only reduces the
productive capacity of the cows but is also expensive to treat. Mastitis, mainly of tow types – sub-clinical and
clinical, is responsible forheavy economic losses due to reduced milk yield, milk discard aftertreatment, treatment
costs and prematureculling.
MAY ISSUE 2014
the losses due to latter are more severe than those due to
the former (Muhamed et al, 2011). The Indian diary
industry suffers and annual loss of approximately 526
millions dollars due to mastitis, 70% of which is due to
subclinicalmastitis(RadyandSayed,2009).
Diagnosis
While acute clinical mastitis is easily suspected/recognized
even by farmers and is readily diagnosed due to udder
swelling, pain and drasticdecreasein milkproduction,the
sub-clinical mastitis has neither visual abnormalities in
the mammary gland (swelling, hotness, cracks etc.) nor in
the milk (blood, clots, flakes etc.). Therefore, routine
physical examination of udder and diagnostic screening
tests for early detection of mastitis and proper treatment
of affected animal are of paramount importance in order to
minimizelossesduetosub-clinicalandclinicalmastitis.
Physical examination of udder: It can be done by visual
observation and digital palpation. Physical examination
of each gland must be made immediately after milking
when the hormone stimulation has ceased and the udder is
completelyrelaxedandempty(Sharmaetal,2009).
Milkexamination
The visible abnormalities like presence of flakes or clots
in the milk, changes in the consistency and colour of milk
(which may be thin or watery and at times yellow in color)
are noted (Sharma et al, 2009). For convenience milk
examinationtestsmaybedividedintotwogroups, viz:
— Direct or cultural test: These are the standard tests
for determining the presence and identity of mastitis
organisms in the milk, but are time consuming and
requiretechnicalskillandlaboratoryfacilities.
— Indirect Tests: These depend upon the development
of palpable lesions in the udder or changes in the
composition of milk. Indirect tests (e.g. Somatic cell
count, California Mastitis Test, Strip cup test etc.) are
useful in determining the quality of milk in the
absence of laboratory facilities. These are simple,
economical,fastandeasytouseasacow-sidetest.
Risk Factors:
Factors
Ageandparity
Stage of
lactation
Milking
techniques
Milking
interval
Milking
hygiene
Udder
immunity
Season
Housing
system
Dietary
factors
Relation with Intra-mammary Infection
Increasing parity increases the risk of
clinicalmastitis
Lactating cow is more likely to develop
clinical mastitis during the first 3
months of lactation than the remainder
ofthelactatingperiod
Over- milking, faulty machine milking,
knuckling and stripping method of
milking can induce damage to the teat
tissueincreasingtherisk ofmastitis
Milking should be done at fixed time
interval to reduce the incidence of
mastitis
Udder hygiene significantly associated
with the risk of environmental pathogen
intra-mammaryinfectionincows
Teat duct-primary physical defense for
the mammary gland. When the integrity
of the teat canal is damaged, the quarter
will be predisposed to intra–mammary
infection.
Mastitis is high in summer and rainy
monthsandlessinwintermonths
High stocking density, dirty bedding or
ground, infected utensils, poor
ventilation and high humidity are
importantriskfactors.
Deficiency of vitamins E, A, b-carotene
and the trace minerals selenium, copper
andzinc-greaterrisk.
Contd. on page 5
5. Page 5
during heat stress and reticular motility and rumination is
decreased whereas, the volume of digesta in the rumen of
beef cows, goats and revierine buffalo increased. A very
high concentration of lactic acid was observed in heat-
stressed cattle, which lowers the ruminal pH and in turn
inhibiting rumen motility. Heat stress reduces the acetate
whereas increases the propionate and buyate production.
Therefore the animal responds by consuming less roughage
which leads to variation in digestion patterns due to
changes in microbial population in the rumen and increased
inrumenpH from5.82to6.03 inlactatingcows.
Ruminal and intestinal absorption of nutrients in ewes were
found to be changed when exposed to thermal exposure for
different durations. Later on when the ewes were
chronically exposed to heat, there was lower diet
digestibility and lower pH and cellulolytic and amylolytic
bacteria concentrations, slower digesta passage rate and
lower osmolarity of rumen content, indicating a possible
impairment of bacterial activity and high dilution of rumen
fluid. There are some of the gastrointestinal hormones that
influencemotilityandalsoaffectfeedintakeinruminantsbut
there is not clear evidence of involvement of gastrointestinal
hormones and peptidergic neurons in mediating the effect of
temperatureongastrointestinalmotility.
Heat stress tends to decrease the ruminal fermentation and
therefore reduction in methane production, leading to
lowerruminalactivity.
Feedingapproachtoovercomeheatstress
Maintaining optimum nutrient balance and providing
highly palatable and digestible feeds and ample supplies of
fresh and clean water, along with shade and ventilation,
will go far toward keeping your animals comfortable and
healthy. Low quality, stemmy forages generate more heat
of fermentation inside the rumen and contributing to the
animal's total heat load. So animals should be provided
with high quality forages but don't go below 18-19% ADF
(acid detergent fiber) which would digest faster and result
in lesser heat production. Decreasing the forage to
concentrate ration (feeding more concentrate) could be
practised whereas, excess concentrate may cause problems
like rumen acidosis and animal can go off feed. Sodium
bicarbonate or sesqui-carbonate at the rate of 0.25 to 0.5
lbs./cow/day can help buffers the rumen to accommodate
higher levels of concentrate. Increase buffer to 0.75% of
DMI (dry matter intake) in Total Mixed Rations or
completefeedsandofferfreechoice.
Other feed additives like yeast (improved fiber digestion),
fungal cultures for example Aspergillus oryzae and niacin
(improved energy utilization) can be incorporated into the
ration for better comfort to the animals. however, all of
these additives should not be used together. Ration of
Contd. from page 1Effects of Heat Stress...
Treatment
The treatment of clinical mastitis is generally based on
clinical signs, number of episodes and the likelihood of
response. It should include supportive therapy, milk-out,
and observation until culture results are available the
following day. In case of contagious pathogen, all 4
quarters should be treated to ensure elimination of
pathogen and to prevent possible cross-infection of a non
infected quarter. Drug manufacturer's instructions
regarding frequency, duration and level of treatment
should be precisely followed. Udder balm may be applied
on the udder to reduce inflammation. For anti bacterial
treatment, the drug (usually an antibiotic) must reach the
causative bacteria in the udder. Therefore, an intra-mammary
treatment is by far the most common method for all forms of
mastitis.Theantibioticmustbeadministeredintotheteatofthe
affectedquarterafterithasbeenemptiedofmilk.
Antibiotictherapy
a)Parenteral administration-Severe mastitis is usually
treated systemically, although intra-mammary therapy
willoftenbeusedadjunctively.
b)Intra-mammary administration-This route is accepted
as the route of choice in the treatment of subclinical,
chronic or mild clinical mastitis and as prevention during
dry clinical mastitis and as prevention during dry cow
therapy. It permits delivery of the antibiotic directly into
themammarygland.
Hygiene and management: The infection easily
spreads from one cow to the other during milking via
contaminated milk, hands of the milker, and udder cloths
(in case of milking machine). Infection may also occur
during the interval between milking. Possible routes are
contaminated beddings, licking of teats and udder, contact
of the udder with the tail and legs and files. Therefore strict
hygienehastobemaintained.
Cows with a high cell count can be separated from healthy
cows with a low cell count. Disinfection of the entire teats
immediately after milking in a safe and effective teat dip is
perhaps the most important single measure a dairy farmers
can take to reduce new infections in a herd. Most
commercially available teat dips will reduce new
infectionsbyatleast50%.
Controland prevention
Cows suffering from mastitis may recover spontaneously,
but usually drug therapy is required to maintain
productivity. It is a good practice to empty the affected
quarters as often as possible by stripping the concerned
teats several times per day. Improved animal husbandry,
hygiene and good management are the only practical
methods of prevention and disease control. To prevent
cows from damaging their teats barbed wires should be
removedfromthepremises.
Contd. from page 4 Bovine Mastitis : An... In conclusion the most effective measures to prevent
mastitisare:
— Maintaining a consistent high standard of
management and hygiene before, during and after
milking;
— Using a good milking technique or an adequately
functioningmilkingmachine;
— Use of teat-dip with a disinfectant on all cows after
everymilking;
— Treating all cows with evidence of clinical mastitis
promptly;
— Applying the somatic cell count monthly to monitor
thehealthstatusoftheherd;
— Applying antibiotics to all cows after the last milking
atthetimetheyaredriedoff;
— Attending immediately to any minor injury to the teat
oruddertissue;
— Cullingofcowssufferingfromrecurrentclinicalmastitis.
— Providing adequate nutrition to preclude increased
susceptibilitytomastitis.
Conclusion
Mastitis not only reduces the productive capacity of the
cows, it is also expensive to treat. Therefore, its
prevention should be the prime concern of each farmer.
Effective mastitis control strategies including prudent
use of antibiotics, adequate strategies including prudent
use of antibiotics, adequate housing with proper
sanitation and regular screening for early detection and
treatment, follow up of chronic case, culling of older
cows with repeated attacks, avoiding consecutive
milking and susceptibility testing of the mastitis
pathogens before treatment are recommended to
alleviate the problem.
MAY ISSUE 2014
Prof. N.H. Ravindranath at the Centre of Ecological
Sciences, IISc, Bengaluru, and one of the lead authors of
the last of the three IPCC working group reports focusing
on mitigating climate change maintains that the
agricultural sector has a high potential for energy
efficiency.
Prof. Ravindranath said, “The agricultural sector accounts
for 25 per cent of emissions. These are coming from
different sources,” he said, pointing out that “Thirty to
forty per cent of the food being grown in India is being
wasted.Wastingfood meanswastingenergy.”
Prof. Ravindranath pointed out that a huge amount of
energy was also being wasted by the 15 million “extremely
inefficient” pumps being used by farmers in the
agricultural sector.“Each pump consumes 3,000 to 4,000
units of electricity per annum. This electricity is being
provided free of cost and is again a complete waste of
energy . There are many technologies available to improve
pumps and reduce electricity losses but there is no
incentivetousethem”.
Prof. Ravindranath, who has been a lead writer for the last
two decades, also maintains that excessive use of fertilisers
in agriculture is another area of energy waste.“Fertilisers
are highly energy intensive but since they continue to be
heavily subsidised, this is another area of inefficient energy
use,” he added.He also argues in favour of reducing
methane emissions from rice and livestock. The IPCC
report is hopeful about emissions from agriculture, forestry
and other land use (AFOLU) showing a decline largely due
toincreasingafforestation.
However, this does not seem to be the case in India where
deforestation is rampant. “The Greening India mission had
set a target of greening 10 million has at the cost of `40,000
crore.This had been announced by Jairam Ramesh but little
progress has been made in the last 2-3 years,” Prof.
Ravindranathsaid.
“The ministry of environment and forests has made no
serious effort to find money for this work from the Planning
Commission. In fact, none of the missions is making
serious progress. But reforestation is good for the local
economy. Not only will it provide timber and forest
products for the poor but also help fight climate change at
thelocallevel”.
Agri Sector has Potential to be Energy-Efficient
ruminants should usually contain 18% protein or less on a
dry basis but that containing greater than 65% of the total
protein as rumen degradable protein should be avoided.
Supplemental fat, such as cotton seeds, soybean, tallow,
rumen inert sources, or combinations can be added to
rations to increase energy intake. There is increased
sweating and urination during hot weather conditions
resulting in more minerals being excreted. Therefore,
additional mineral supplementation should be
incorporated in the ration containing potassium to the level
of at least 1.5%, sodium to 0.45%, and magnesium to
0.35% of dry matter. Increasing the levels of vitamins such
that supplementing 100,000 international units (IU) of
vitamin A/day, 50,000 IU of vitamin D/day and 500 IU of
vitamin E/day could help the animal to sustain its health
andproductionduringheatstress.
Conclusion
Heat stress is a cause of great concern that evokes a series of
drastic changes in the animal's biological functions that
include depression in feed efficiency and utilization,
disturbances in metabolism of water, protein, energy, and
mineral balances, enzymatic reactions, hormonal secretions
and blood metabolites. Such changes leads to reduction in
production and reproduction performance of animal resulting
in huge economical loss to global livestock husbandry.
Therefore, scientific feeding methods should be practised to
overcomedeteriorateaffectsofheatstressinlivestock.
Agri Sector has Potential to be Energy-Efficient Ayurvet 5F Initiatives; Aimed Towards Improving
Efficiency in Energy & Allied Sectors.
Ayurvet through its initiatives of 5F of sustainable
integration livestock and agriculture (Food, Feed, Fodder,
Fuel & Fertilizer)is advocating to the farmers to efficiently
use the cow dung for production of biogas and
vermicompost. This would not only reduce the dependence
of farmers on the cooking gas but also reduce the fertilizer
inputs in the agriculture sector. Through its hydroponics
technology the initiatives aimed at reducing the water and
land usage in paddy and fodder crops.This indirectly means
higherefficiencyof theenergy requiredintherelatedsector.
6. Page 6 MAY ISSUE 2014
Introduction
Fertility is a qualitative term that denotes desire and ability
to mate, capacity to conceive, nourish the embryo and
finally the power to expel the normal fetus (es). Infertility
is expressed as degree of reduced fertility. Infertility in
animals accounts for major economic losses in Indian
dairy farming and dairy industry as maintaining an infertile
animal is an economic burden. Reproductive efficiency is a
critical component of a successful dairy operation,
whereas reproductive inefficiency is one of the most
expensive problems facing the dairy industry today. The
dairy industry is sustainable in the long run only if there is
considerable profit over a specified period of time (Mishra
and Tiwari, 2013). Reproductive disorders can
dramatically affect reproductive efficiency in a dairy herd.
The causes of infertility are many and can be complex
ones. Infertility or failure to conceive and give birth to a
young one can be due to malnutrition, infections,
congenital defects, management errors and ovulatory or
hormonal imbalances in the female. Some of the most
common disorders include repeat breeding, anoestrus,
ovarian cysts, and early embryonic loss. These are diverse
disorders that are similar in that they all can result in
impaired reproductive function. Deciding whether to
breed, treat, or cull diary animals exhibiting one or more of
these reproductive disorders is a challenge for both
veterinarians and dairy producers. In addition to
therapeutic intervention for treating these disorders,
reproductive management is today the most effective
consideration among diary scientists and bovine
practitioners as these have great economic impact in a
dairyoperation.
MajorAttributes forInfertility
Infertility is one of the greatest threats to dairy industry
impacting, directly and indirectly, the production potential
of individual diary animals and thereby leading to heavy
economic loss of the particular herd. Practically to heavy
economic loss of the particular herd. Practically delayed
puberty, gestational accidents, postpartum complications
and ovarian inactivity are the major forms to hamper
fertilityrateunderagro-climaticconditionsofthecountry.
I.Delayed puberty: Puberty may be defined as the age or
time at which the genital or reproductive organs become
functional for reproduction to occur. In the female animal,
it is characterized by the appearance of estrum and
ovulation. Timely onset of puberty optimizes reproductive
efficiency of female animals resulting in higher fertility
index. Delayed puberty and sexual maturity may be mainly
due to low levels of nutrition, exposure to stress and
inbreeding trends. Delayed puberty accounts for economic
disadvantages through decreased lifetime reproductive
performance. Delayed first oestrus contributes to reduced
reproductive efficiency thereby leading to a period of
adolescentinfertility.
II.Gestational accidents: Diseases and accidents of
gestation are believed to be the major silent forms of
infertility as they generally go unnoticed. They include
early embryonic loss, unseen expulsion of embryos or
foetuses (abortions), foetal death, foetal mummification
andmaceration.
a) Embryonic loss: Embryonic mortality is one of the
major causes of reproductive failure. Early embryonic
mortality occurs between fertilization and day 24 of
gestation resulting in repeat breeding, whereas the late
embryonic mortality considered between day 25 to day 45
resulting in irregular or prolonged oestrous cycle and
Infertility Management Protocols for Dairy Animals
1 2
By G.K. Mishra and R.P.Tiwari
and arthritis leads to infertility. Retained placenta and
abnormal discharges etc. Are some of the problems that
warrant attention that are directly or indirectly responsible
forinfertility.
b) Environmental factors: Environmental factors such as
season, temperature, relative humidity and light affect
fertility. Very hot and extreme cold climates affect
reproductive efficiency of all domestic animals. High
temperature shortens the duration and lowers the
expression of estrum in cows. Larger percentage of oestrus
occurs during night with more chances to miss it, since this
is very common during odd hours it causes temporary
cessationoffertility.
Ways to overcome infertility through management:
Management is a very important factor to optimize
reproductive efficiency. Nearly 70% of breeding problems
arise due to improper management practices and
nutritionaldeficienciesofanimals.
Nutritionalmanagement:
The interrelationship between nutrition and reproduction
are amongst the most important and probably the least
understood factors that control reproductive performance.
Importance of adequate feeding during calfhood to ensure
early onset of puberty is the essential determinant for
absolute gain of higher production potential. Special
attention should be paid with regards to energy, protein,
micronutrients and vitamins prior to two months breeding
to calving. This is the best reproductive management
option for dairy animals to overcome infertility cases.
Healthy nutrition is responsible for optimum fertility of the
animals. The level of energy intake is more important for
normal reproductive function. Low levels of energy intake
in adult animals cause failure of follicle to develop on
maturity and follicular atresia along with a loss of sexual
desire and anoestrus. Similarly, quality and quantity of
protein is important for reproductive functions. The
present concept of chelated form of micro- minerals
(manganese, cobalt, copper, iron, iodine and zinc) and
reproductive functions. Vitamin A deficiency adversely
affects reproduction and characterized by changes in the
epithelial tissues such as keratinisation and degeneration
and septic metritis ultimately form the basis of nutritional
infertility. Vitamin E and selenium deficiency play a major
role in higher incidence of metritis, ROP and cystic ovaries.
Obesity due to overfeeding may sometimes cause infertility,
speciallyinbuffaloeswithsmallovariesandoestrusmayfail
to occur. Now a days area specific soil testing facilities are
available and accordingly mineral mixture can be prepared
and fed to the animals. Therefore, improving and managing
nutrition aspect in fertility management rather than
treatmentshouldbethefirstchoice.
thereby decreasing lifetime performance. Luteal
insufficiency, physiological as well as thermal stress and
incompatibility between spermatozoa/ egg or between
zygoteandmothermayleadtoembryonicloss.
b) Abortion: abortion is defined as the expulsion of dead
fetus of recognizable size at any stage of gestation. Single
or combination of causative agents may be responsible for
abortion in animals. Economically, abortions are of great
importancetothedairyowner,becauseof
I.Thefoetusloss (futurebreedingstock)
ii.Productionloss (milkproduction)
iii.Aprolongedperiodofuterinediseaseandinfertility
iv.Maintenanceofunproductivefemaleforlongperiod.
v. Chances to spread infection to other animals (in cases of
infectiousabortions)
Foetal death, foetal mummification and maceration:
Foetal death in animal after conception prolongs the
oestrus cycle and results into infertility. Aseptic form of
foetal death (mummification) and septic conditions
(maceration) generally go undiagnosed and are confused
with pregnancy resulting into infertility. On the other hand
if spontaneous abortion occurs, the heavy economical
burden is imposed on the dairy farmers by reproductive
disruption.
a)Postpartum complications:
Thecausesaremanyandcanbecomplex.
i.Endometritis– Metritis-Pyometra complex: Specific
or non specific infections cause the infertility due to the
alterations of uterine environment. Varying degree of
inflammation of various layers of uterus by damage of
physical barriers and failure of natural defence mechanism
may lead to the infection of genital tract. Physical damage
of barriers is either due to damage of vulva which impairs
the sphincter like barrier, aspiration of air, ballooning of
vagina and vaginitis or damage of cervix predisposing
factor for uterine infections. Progesterone domiance state
of genital organs is more prone to infection. Endometritis is
the inflammation of the endoemtrium, whereas metritis
involves the entire thickness of the uterus. Pyometra is the
accumulation of purulent exudates within the uterus.
Postpartum uterine infections occurs as common sequel to
trauma, retention of foetal membranes leads to the
establishment of infection. Unhygienic breeding during
wrong time and site are the major causes of endoemtritis.
Low moderate (metritis) and severe infection with pus
(pyometra) temporarily reduces fertility of the animals as
oneofthemostcomplexdisease.
ii.Ovulatory distrubances: Ovulatory failure and cyst
formation are mostly related to high prolactin secretion
associated with high yielders which suppress release of
luteinizing hormone (L.H.) resulting ovulatory defects.
Incidence of delayed ovulation is 12-20% and 10-12% in
cattle and buffalo, respectively. However, the incidence of
an ovulation ranges from 2 to 13% in cyclic and repeat
breedercows andbuffaloes.
iii. Ovarian acyclicity: Resumption of ovarian cyclicity
after parturition a critical component in attaining higher
fertility in dairy animals. Up to 50 percent of modern dairy
cows have abnormal oestrous cycles postpartum resulting
in increased calving to first insemination interval and
decreased conception rates (Garnsworthy et. al, 2009).
Production loss coupled with negative energy balance
during lactation reduces functional energy balance during
lactation reduces functional competence of ovarian follicle
responsive towards pulsatile LH stimulation resulting into
delayedovulation.
iv. Repeat breeding: Repeat breeding is a syndrome in
which the female animal fails to conceive after 3-4
attempts by fertile bull or artificial insemination at normal
or nearly normal oestrous cycle. It is one of the poorly
understood defined reproductive challenging and
discoursing problems related to dairy animals.
Fertilization failure or early embryonic death (EED) are
the primary cause of repeat breeding that results from the
hostile uterine environment produced by the invading
microorganism during the critical period of pre-
implantation stage. Mild ascending specific and non
specific clinical and sub-clinical genital infections are
found to be closely associated with post-parturient form of
repeatbreeding.
a) Disease conditions: Any parasitic infestation and
chronic diseases such as tuberculosis, chronic diarrhoea
Contd. in next issue
Has your animal crossed over 90 Days of Calving
without conception ?
May be it is heading towards ...Infertility
Uterine Cleanser and Restorative
EXAPAR JANOVAFor Inducing Ovulatory Oestrus
MINTRUS
Trace Mineral Caplets
TM
E J M
Ensure Timely
Conception With
*
From to inINFERTILITY FERTILITY
Perfect trio to revive your animal
*
1. Assistant Professor, Dept. of Vet. Gynaecology and Obstetrics, College of Vet. Science and
Animal Husbandry, Chhattishgarh
2. Professor and Head, Dept. of Vet. Gynaecology and Obstetrics, College of Vet. Science and
Animal Husbandry, Chhattishgarh
7. argemonethathappenedin1998.
Unless there is exemplary speed in handling cases of food
adulteration and deterrent punishment to the guilty, the
cases that are happening would continue with same
alacrity to the chagrin of the nation. We must learn from
China!
Supreme Court showing concern is a warning for the
Indian milk processing industry. Formula to cope with this
problem is simple. Milk processors need to have the “will
tofightadulteration”.
If a dairy plant stops accepting adulterated milk the
scourge would wane. Most private sector dairy plants in
India do not have their own network of milk collection.
They heavily depend upon middle men for supply of milk
in road tankers. It is these middlemen who indulge in
adulteration. It is commonly known that milk like
substance is produced by a mixture of urea, vegetable oil
and sugar. The mixture is so churned and adjusted that it
becomes difficult to check it by tasting or smelling. It is
only through complicated laboratory tests that it possible
todetectadulteration.
A milk producer who produces 5- 10 litres of milk daily
and sells it to make his both ends meet, does not have the
wherewithal to prepare such milk-like substance and add
to milk. In fact the farmers do not adulterate milk with
anything other than water. It is the middlemen-suppliers
who sell milk in large volumes of 10,000 litres and more
that indulge in adulteration. It is therefore very important
that the dairy manufacturing industry sets up its own
network of collecting milk directly from the farmers. They
should learn the process of organising milk producers into
self help groups from the dairy co-operatives. In my
experience this system is beneficial to both the milk
producer as well as the manufacturer. In the long run milk
collected directly from the farmer is cheaper and the
farmergetshigherpricethathegetsfromthemiddleman.
Page 7
Supreme Court Wake up Call to Dairy Sector
Dr. R S Khanna, International Dairy Consultant
On the other hand AMUL has come out with a full page
advertisement in Delhi newspapers seeking the consumers
to say “NO” to liquid milk containing powder and butter
oil. In fact this advertisement seems to lead the consumer to
believe that liquid milk when reconstituted is also
adulterated or at least there is need that the consumer must
be informed of the fact that milk is a mixture of fresh and
reconstitutedmilk.
Milk being complete food has been given the status of
“nectar” in India. For such a product to be adulterated for
pettygainsis reallypainful.
This paper had reported last year the scandal of baby milk
foods being adulterated with melamine, a protein-like
contaminant, in China. Consumption of the adulterated
baby food not only resulted in the death of many infants but
had also caused severe sickness amongst thousands of
them. It all happened when baby food manufactured by
Sanlu Group Company was given to infants and they
developed kidney stones. The Chinese government
handled the matter with required severity. At least three
persons were hanged to death within one year of the
scandal coming to light. The famous Fonterra Cooperative
of New Zealand who was a partner in this company decided
toseverthejointventureanddecidedtoleaveChina.
In India the government departments are quick in
conducting raids and that is the end of it. Hardly any cases
have been reported where any person involved with food
adulteration has been punished, forget capital punishment.
The need is to bring the culprits to justice so that nobody
darestoadulterateitemsoffood consumption.
This incident is being narrated with the intent that the same
speed should be shown in India also. But will it ever
happen? We still have not seen any hangings or serious
punishment to the cases of adulteration of mustard oil with
Nobody can afford to ignore the anger and anguish of
Supreme Court on the importance of dealing with
adulteration of milk. There have been many instances
where the former Department of Prevention of Food
Adulteration, now Food Standards and SafetyAuthority of
India, had swooped on the factory where synthetic milk
was being manufactured in Kurukshetra and other
locations. A TV Channel had carried a comprehensive
video analysis of the process of manufacturing of synthetic
milk and how it arrived at the processing units and to the
consumers. Issue is not that the synthetic milk is being
produced and sold. Issue is the importance of food safety
and health of the consumer. Indian DairyAssociation, New
Delhi and National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal have
beenraisingtheseissues atnationallevelseminars.
Apart from the food safety aspect it is important to
understand the reasons for such adulteration. First, it is to
be noted that cases of adulteration surface during summer
when there is shortage in production and availability of
milk and the consumption of milk and milk products is
comparatively high. Second, the scourge of synthetic milk
production is highest in the areas that have the milk
processing capacity higher than the marketable surplus of
milk.The number of factories for processing milk and their
total processing capacities is very high in Haryana, Eastern
Rajasthan and Western Uttar Pradesh. Therefore,
maximum problem of adulteration is faced in these areas.
Most notorious areas known for synthetic milk production
are Bulandshaher and Mewat zone of Rajasthan and
Haryana. Kurukshetra has been repeatedly been known for
thisscourgeinthepastalso.
Most of the milk processors have been reacting that the
television channels were regularly making loud noise
about the manner in which milk was being adulterated and
accepted by the milk plants. They felt that the media cry
was uncalled for and there is need to counter it. It was
alleged that the media is blowing the incidents of
adulteration beyond the actual facts. With festive season
having started the news channels have opened their
archives of stockshots again. The allegation is true to the
extent that the message being communicated is that all
milk and milk products are adulterated. This may not be
true. But then how can the news channel identify which
milk is pure and which is adulterated. There have also been
many news about the government regulators discovering
factories of adulterated milk and ghee. And these have
comeinquicksuccession.
The fact that the milk and milk products are pure and
unadulterated has to be highlighted and certified by the
processors themselves. Unfortunately none of the milk
processing dairies has come out with any statement or
advertisement pledging that its milk or milk products are
trulypureandunadulterated.
AYURVET SOLUTIONS FOR OPTIMUM GROWTH
& BOOSTING MILK PRODUCTION
MAY ISSUE 2014
Ayurvet Uttam Santulit Pashu Aahar
offers one such opportunity to feed the
animals effectively during winter months
Nobody can afford to ignore the anger and anguish of Supreme Court on the importance of dealing with adulteration of milk.Issue is not that the synthetic milk is being
produced and sold. Issue is the importance of food safety and health of the consumer. Indian DairyAssociation, New Delhi and National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal have
been raisingtheseissues atnational levelseminars.
8. Publisher:M.J.Saxena
Editor:Dr.AnupKalra
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J kes
reducestrategies.
Meeting the challenges: adaptation and mitigation
livestockstrategies
Livestock can play an important role in both mitigation
and adaptation. Mitigation measures could include
technical and management options in order to reduce GHG
emissions from livestock, as well as the integration of
livestock into broader environmental services. As
described in the section below, livestock has the potential
to support adaptation efforts of the poor. In general,
livestock is more resistant to climate change than crops
because of its mobility and access to feed. The sections
below provide a brief overview of possible adaptation and
mitigationactivitiesofthelivestocksector.
Livestockadaptation strategies
Livestock producers have traditionally adapted to various
environmental and climatic changes by building on their
in-depth knowledge of the environment in which they live.
However increased human population, urbanization,
environmental degradation and increased consumption of
animal source foods have made some of those coping
mechanismsineffective.
Breeding strategies: Many local breeds are already
adapted to their harsh conditions. However, developing
countries are usually characterised by a lack of technology
in livestock breeding and other agriculture programmes
whichmighthelptospeedadaptation.
Capacity building livestock keepers: Increased
awareness of global changes, and improved capacity of
herders/livestock producers to understand and deal with
climatic changes. Livestock management systems:
Efficient and affordable adaptation practices have to be
developed for rural poor not able to buy expensive
adaptationtechnologies.
Reduction of livestock numbers: Lower number of more
productive animals will cause more efficient production
andlesseremissionofGHG fromlivestockproduction.
Mitigationoflivestockgreenhouse gasemissions
Unmitigated climate change would, in the long term, be
likely to exceed the capacity of natural and human systems
to adapt. Mitigation of GHG emissions in the livestock
sector can be achieved through various activities
including: Different animal feeding management, Manure
management,Managementoffeedcropproduction.
How livestockproduction affectsthe environment?
Measuring the emissions caused by the food supply system
is difficult given the complexity and global nature of feed
and food supply chains. Lifecycle analysis (LCA) results
for GHG emissions measured by kilogram of output are
often lower when output per animals is higher. This can be
taken to suggest that intensive animal farming. Which
includes breeding for high yields, permanent indoor
housing and concentrates feeding of animals. Is the best
way to reduce livestock emissions? However, this
assessment is far too simplistic. It fails to account for
significant elements of the farming system, such as co-
products. It also often ignores the most disturbing waste in
industrial sale animal production systems, indeed, when
taking into account all aspects of dairy production,
including their fertility, productive lifespan and beef
production from male dairy calves, evidence shows
extensivesystems havelowerGHG emissions.
Effectson climatechange
All food–producing agricultural acitivities generate GHG
MAY ISSUE 2014
Contd. from page 3 Role of Livestock in... emissions, so the question is: how do we feed the growing
population while minimising emissions?According to the
United Nations Environment Programme, when
considering the entire food chain, meat production
accounts for 18-25 percent of the words GHG emissions.
Left unchecked, animal production is predicted to
account for 70 percent of the sustainable level of all global
GHG emissions by 2050. This level of global
consumptionposes severesustainabilitychallenges.
Why animalwelfaremattersto climatechange?
As noted above, green house gas emissions relate to
different elements of livestock production.The health and
productivity of animals and breeding herds (such as cattle
and pigs) are an important factor. Many studies confirm
that animal health and welfare are integral to environment
sustainability. Breeding for health can create productivity
and welfare benefits and result in lower emissions. Robust
breeds of animals reared in extensive systems often have
longer productive life times and these systems often have
reliance on fossil fuel and grain inputs. Intensive high
input, high output. Systems that appear highly efficient at
first glance are in fact energy and resource hungry. By
focusing on high yields, these systems have unintended
consequences, including shortening animals. Productive
livesandintroducingmassivewaste,suchasthebreedingof
surplusanimalsthatarenotseenaseconomicallyviable.
Climateadaptation inlivestock
Climate change will have far-reaching consequences for
dairy and meat production, especially in vulnerable parts
of the world where it is vital for nutrition and livelihoods.
The impact of climate change can heighten the
vulnerability of livestock systems and exacerbate existing
stresses upon them,such asdrought.
The country's livestock population is forecast to reach 312
million by 2015, leading to likely shortage of feed and
fodder. Growing at a compounded annual growth rate
(CAGR) of about four percent, the total livestock
population in India is likely to reach about 312 million by
2015, according to theAssociated Chambers of Commerce
and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM). The total livestock
population in India is currently about 280 million, according
to the organization's sector-specific comprehensive analysis
of'Livestock,animalfeedandfodder'.
Cattle constitute a share of about 60 percent in India's total
livestock population followed by buffaloes (32 percent),
goats(fourpercent)andsheep(two percent).
“Rapidly growing human population has resulted in an
upward spiralling trend in demand and consumption of milk
products, meat, eggs, skin, leather, fibre and even wool not
just in India but globally, “ said Mr. D. S. Rawat, National
Secretary General of ASSOCHAM while releasing the
findings of the Chamber's analysis. “An increase in number
oflivestockisalsoledbygeneticallyupgradedanimals”.
“Animal production is an integral part of agricultural
sector and plays a significant role in income and
employment generation, equity, foreign exchange earning
and for developing a sustainable agricultural system, “ said
Mr. Rawat. “Livestock accounts for about 30 percent of
entireoutputfromtheagriculturalsector.”
Report Warns of Growing Feed Shortage in India
milliontonnescurrently.
“There is a need to improve the productivity of grazing and
pasture lands, enhancing the supply of quality seeds,
promoting production of fodder crops, implementing
technology to preserve post-harvest fodder and other such
steps must be immediately taken to curb the grave problem
of malnourishment amid animals,” said Mr. Rawat.
“Besides, diseases due to lack of health and hygiene
maintenance are also affecting the production potential of
livestock.”
ASSOCHAM has suggested for providing proper
information and knowledge, services and support to carry
out agri research, education and extension to livestock
farmers to enable them for better decision – making to
achieve rapid growth. A high growth in livestock sector
can be sustained by developing value chains, market
infrastructure, quality and safety mechanisms thereby
making the livestock rearing profitable, recommended
ASSOCHAM,
India imports about 250,000 tonnes of residues and waste
from food industry like flour meals, molasses, residue of
starch, oil – cake, vegetables etc. worth over 1,000 million
rupees (ICR). India exports about five million tonnes of
animal feed worth over INR 80,000 million, according to
ASSOCHAM.
“Looking at this enormous demand for livestock products,
there is an urgent need to improve health and productivity
of the farm animals and steps must be taken to improve the
qualityoffodderandfeed.”
India is facing huge shortage to the extent of about 60
percent of feed and fodder for livestock population mainly
due to overgrazing in the limited area under fodder crops,
poor availability of good quality fodder varieties green
fodder, dry crop residue, feeds, dry fodder, agricultural by-
products and others. In addition, a lack of quality seeds of
improvedvarietiesandhybridsisalsoasignificantissueinthis
regard. The annual domestic demand for compound feed in
India is growing at about 25 percent CAGR and is at about 70