New norms on anvil to keep bovine population healthy
In order to prevent and control spread of infectious and contagious diseases among bovine populations
To maintain the disease-free status at semen stations, bulls are required to be tested regularly as per the schedule mentioned in the DPP developed by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) under Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying
New Delhi: In a bid to keep the bovine population healthy, the central government is working on rules to keep animals free from disease. The rules would be oriented around the enforcement of the Disease Prevention Protocol (DPP) by private semen stations.
Artificial insemination (AI) is crucial for enhancing milk production and productivity of bovines through the use of high genetic merit bulls which are free from disease and all known genetic disorders.
If AI programmes are not being implemented using semen of disease-free bulls, they may lead to the spread of diseases like brucellosis, tuberculosis, Johnes Disease (JD), infectious bovine rihnotracheaitis (lBR), etc, at a rapid rate among the bovine population. The lumpy skin disease killed over 1.5 lakh cows last year. To maintain the disease-free status at semen stations, bulls are required to be tested regularly as per the schedule mentioned in the DPP developed by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) under Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying.
Most of the private semen stations, however, do not follow the DPP, official sources told Bizz Buzz. Bulls available at these private semen stations are procured from the field without following the protocol for disease testing and quarantine. Bulls procured from unorganized bull production programmes are major source of spread of diseases.
In order to prevent and control spread of infectious and contagious diseases among animals, the DAHD has prepared the Minimum Standard Protocol (MSP) for semen stations for prevention and control of infectious and contagious diseases. Now, the quarantine period of calves between two months of age and sexual maturity is a minimum of 60 days, or the period sufficient to allow at least two tests for each of the MSP diseases to be performed with a minimum interval of 30 days between the tests. In case of TB and JD, the interval between the two tests should not be less than 42 days.
