Farmers at a village in Kiambu County are counting loses after their cattle died in the wake of an outbreak of lumpy skin disease in the area.
The disease, characterised by lumps appearing on the skin of the livestock, has affected more than 50 cattle in Nyamuthanga village in Lari.
The area farmers expressed frustrations saying that yields from the cattle have gone down making it impossible to realise returns on investment.
Mr George Kamau, one of the farmers whose cows have been affected by the disease, told hivisasa.com on Thursday in Lari that it was a great loss to the farmers who relied on the sale of milk which was no longer a guarantee.
He added that many farmers settled their bills and paid for their children’s school fees using the income from the livestock.
Ms Jane Njoki, another farmer whose two cows died as a result of the disease last week, expressed her fears about the disease saying that her livestock farming was her sole source of income.
She further said that the cows suffered for only three weeks before succumbing. Speaking from his office on Thursday, Lari District Veterinary Officer Mr Ndirangu Karanja said that his office was aware of the outbreak. He said plans were underway to treat the affected cattle and vaccinate others. Ndirangu said that the one week programme was scheduled to take place between July 20 and 24 and appealed to all farmers in the area to avail their animals for the vaccination. He advised farmers to isolate the affected cattle to avoid further spreading the disease. The veterinary officer urged the farmers to insist on knowing the credentials of the veterinary doctors attending to their livestock to ensure they were dealing with professionals.
Ndirangu urged the farmers to report any quacks found to be taking advantage of the farmers’ frustrations.