新湖畔网 （随信APP) | 利比亚爆发牛病，给畜牧业带来严重灾难

一场口蹄疫疾病的爆发摧毁了利比亚的牛群 - 版权AFP伊斯兰·阿拉特拉什

伊斯兰·阿拉特拉什

在利比亚西部城市米苏拉塔郊外的纳杰梅丁·坦图恩农场，数百台牛奶挤奶机的嗡鸣声已经几乎变得寂静。

这位农民已经失去了将近一半的奶牛，因为口蹄疫病毒的爆发，这是一种影响有蹄动物的高度传染性疾病。

利比亚的口蹄疫爆发对许多养牛农民造成了重大打击，他们表示尚未为他们的动物接种疫苗，奶制品和肉制品的生产因此受到影响。

北非国家的大部分收入来自石油资源，但米苏拉塔是一个主要的奶制品中心，每天曾生产70,000升牛奶。

根据该市的养牛农民委员会主席45岁的塞勒姆·巴德里表示，产量现已下降至每天20,000升。

27岁的坦图恩表示:“未来看起来暗淡。”

他说:“我几乎失去了一切。”他说。“从742头奶牛中，我们失去了约300头。这种疾病正在摧毁我们的生计。”

这种疾病特别影响以反刍动物为主的牲畜，如牛、羊和山羊。它会引起发热、水疱，有时会导致死亡。

–‘走向灾难’–

根据巴德里的委员会，米苏拉塔一些农民报告称，他们的牛已有约70%死于这种疾病。

“我们正在走向灾难，”在访问坦图恩的农场时，负责该市动物卫生办公室的巴德里表示。

“疫苗的推迟让我们付出了昂贵的代价，”他补充说。“米苏拉塔大部分奶牛现在都感染了，我们别无选择，只能屠宰它们以制止这场流行病。”

这种疾病也给消费者带来了经济困难，因为短缺推高了肉类和乳制品的价格。

巴德里表示，还有另一种名为块状皮肤病的牛病也造成了影响，外国买家开始对进口利比亚牛皮感到担忧。

自2011年推翻长期独裁者卡扎菲的起义之后，利比亚正努力从多年的冲突中恢复。

目前，它仍然在被联合国承认的总理阿卜杜勒哈米德·德贝巴领导的政府和东部由军阀哈夫塔支持的对立当局之间分裂战斗。

养牛农民指责当局缺乏预防安全措施，以及在疫情爆发期间反应迟缓，导致向受影响地区交付疫苗的延迟。

巴德里表示:“如果疫苗去年11月交付，我们就不会在这里了。”

“我已经多次要求当局向我们交付疫苗，以拯救这些农场，”他说。

接受法新社采访时，的黎波里方面未作回应。

–‘经济灾难’–

东部和西部当局已经推出了紧急疫苗接种计划，并得到联合国粮食及农业组织的支持，但一些农民表示，反应往往来得太迟。

巴德里表示，一群养牛农民已向检察长提起了诉讼。

农业部表示，这些疾病传播的主要原因之一是非法无兽医控制的动物进口。

此外，由于案例没有及时报告给当地当局，污染蔓延无法控制，有些牛可能已经死亡但没有被报告。

坦图恩表示:“我们完全依赖这些动物为生计，”并补充说他已经“为农场的成功付出了一切。”

“失去这么多奶牛是经济灾难。”

他呼吁米苏拉塔当局“不仅提供必要的疫苗，”还“对因疾病受害的奶牛农民进行补偿。”

农民阿里·加巴格表示，他已完全放弃了养牛业，因为“对未来感到恐惧”。

这位40岁的农民表示:“没有人想继续在这个行业中，”

“风险变得太大，我们不知道我们是否能够克服这场危机。”

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has devastated cattle in Libya - Copyright AFP Islam ALATRASH

Islam Alatrash

On Najmeddine Tantoun’s farm on the outskirts of the western Libyan city of Misrata, the usual whir of hundreds of dairy milking machines has given way to near silence.

The farmer has lost almost half his cows to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, a highly contagious illness affecting hoofed animals.

The outbreak in Libya has dealt a major blow to many cattle farmers, who say they have yet to receive vaccines for their animals as dairy and meat production suffers.

Most of the North African country’s revenue comes from its oil resources, but Misrata is a major dairy center which used to produce 70,000 liters of milk a day.

Output has now fallen to 20,000 per day, according to Salem al-Badri, 45, head of the city’s committee of cattle farmers.

Tantoun, 27, said “the future looks bleak”.

“I almost lost everything,” he said. “From 742 cows, we lost about 300. This disease is destroying our livelihoods.”

The disease particularly affects ruminant livestock, such as cattle, sheep and goats. It causes fever, blisters - and sometimes death.

– ‘Heading towards a catastrophe’ –

In Misrata, some farmers have reported losing about 70 percent of their cattle to the disease, according to Badri’s committee.

“We are heading towards a catastrophe,” Badri, who is also in charge of the city’s animal health office, said during a visit to Tantoun’s farm.

“The delay in vaccines has cost us dearly,” he added. “Most of the cows in Misrata are now infected and we have no choice but to slaughter them to stop the epidemic.”

The disease has also inflicted financial hardship on consumers as shortages drive up the price of meat and dairy.

Badri said another cattle ailment called lumpy skin disease has also had an impact, with foreign buyers growing wary of importing Libyan cowhide.

Libya is struggling to recover from years of conflict after the 2011 uprising that overthrew longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi.

It remains split between a United Nations-recognized government of Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah and the rival authority in the east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

Cattle farmers blame the authorities for a lack of preemptive safety measures, as well as a slow response during the outbreak which caused delays in delivering vaccines to the affected regions.

Badri said that “if the vaccines had been delivered last November, we would not be here.”

“I have asked the authorities several times to deliver the vaccines to us in order to save the farms,” he said.

When contacted by AFP, the authorities in Tripoli did not respond.

– ‘Economic disaster’ –

Authorities in the east and west have rolled out emergency vaccination plans with support from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, but some farmers said the response had often come too late.

Badri said a group of cattle farmers have filed a lawsuit with the attorney general.

One of the main causes of the spread of these diseases is the illegal importation of animals without veterinary control, the agriculture ministry has said.

Additionally, contamination spreads uncontrollably as cases are not reported to local authorities in time, it said, adding that some cattle might have died without being reported either.

“We depend entirely on these animals for our livelihood,” said Tantoun, adding that he had “given everything” for his farm to succeed.

“Losing so many cows is an economic disaster.”

He called on authorities in Misrata “not only to provide the necessary vaccines” but also “to compensate” cattle farmers whose cows have suffered from the disease.

Farmer Ali Ghabag said he has completely given up on cattle farming “out of fear for the future.”

“Nobody wants to continue in this sector anymore,” the 40-year-old said.

“The risks have become too big, and we don’t know if we will overcome this crisis.”