Krishna Raj urge dairy farmers to reduce antibiotics to treat cattle illness

Junior agriculture minister at the Centre Krishna Raj Monday called upon dairy farmers to reduce using antibiotics to treat illness in cattle as it can go a long way to mitigate the rising risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in livestock. It can be noted that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in cattle has of late become a public health concern throughout the world. The minister also said dairy farmers should use ethnoveterinary medicines that are cheaper and harmless to treat their cattle.

These formulations are being popularised by the National Dairy Development Board now and have already proved to be safe and efficacious at field trials. She further said the dairy sector needs to gear up to meet the growing challenges of providing better quality milk quality without drug residues, as these are issues of growing public concern. The minister was at Anand, 40 km from here, to inaugurate the third international seminar on 'Veterinary Ayurveda' organised by the National Dairy Development Board.

The seminar is part of the eighth World Ayurveda Congress, organised by the World Ayurveda Foundation. Addressing the seminar, she said the cost-efficacy of ethnoveterinary medicines is in line with the national narrative of doubling farmers' income as these formulations are affordable because they are prepared from ingredients available in a farmer's household. Addressing the gathering, NDDB chairman Dilip Rath said ethnoveterinary medicines have been used for ages by dairy farmers to manage common ailments in their livestock as these formulations are simple, cost-effective, efficacious and environment-friendly options.

He said for these Ayurveda formulations to sustain in the long run it is essential to have adequate supply till such time the knowledge transfer to the farmer is more or less complete.