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[av_heading heading=’Importance of animal health management’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
BY JULIO P. YAP JR.
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February 12, 2018
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LIVESTOCK industry plays a vital role for many farmers in the country, particularly those in the backyard sector.
This makes livestock and livestock commodities as a major income generator for majority of the farmer-families, as well as to the commercial producers.
Due to the increasing demand for livestock and livestock commodities locally and internationally, it created an opportunity, which was even dubbed the “livestock revolution” by several sectors.
This “trend” would provide livestock producers, particularly those in the countryside, unprecedented opportunities to trade their produce in higher value markets, which would eventually lift the lives of the small players out of poverty.
However, several sectors have been unable to take advantage of these opportunities due to several concerns.
These may include poor infrastructure, poor organization, and low number of animals. But topping it all, animal diseases posea major concern for the livestock industry in terms of their effects on production and trade.
Animal diseases definitely have an impact on trade at all levels.
It can reduce the quantity and quality of animals and/or commodities that are available for sale by effects that range from catastrophic mortality to erosion of productivity.
Live animals pose the greatest risk for transmission of infectious diseases, and this is where animal health management should be the first and foremost among the livestock producers.
However, animal health management is influenced by a number of factors.
These include animal factors like species, breed, age, and stage of production, and behavior, as well as, in the case of domesticated animals, the production systems in which they are kept and the way in which they are managed, including the purpose for which they are kept.
The level of management depends to an extent on the importance and impact of the diseases that must be managed.
Much of the effort that goes into animal health management is directed towards ensuring the safety of trade in animals, animal commodities and products.
Animal health management, particularly for trading, is focused on ensuring that traded livestock and livestock commodities derived from livestock should be safe in terms of transmission of diseases to animals and humans.
It is also concerned with supporting producers to ensure that there is a steady supply of healthy animals available for trade.
Health management services may range from primary animal health care and routine surveillance for controlled diseases to herd health programmes which are aimed at optimizing and monitoring health and production to ensure consistency of quality, including supply.
The level of animal health service provision will depend on the demands and value of the market, but in the end, it is the responsibility of animal health managers to try to ensure that food of animal origin that is being offered for sale for human consumption is safe, whether the food is destined for the export market or the local market.
Thus, animal health management is basically concerned with supporting the livestock producers to ensure that there will be a steady supply of healthy animals available for trade. (jaypeeyap@ymail.com/PN)
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