Obert Chifamba Agric-Insight

THOUSANDS, if not millions of cattle farmers countrywide, spent the better part of 2018 and 2019 battling to contain rampaging tick-borne diseases that left most of them without even a single beast.

So devastating were the losses that the majority will not easily recover to relaunch their farming careers once again, which essentially means they will face challenges of draught power every now and then.

Such a scenario leaves them unable to beat seasonal planting deadlines, as they have to hire draught power or even tractors.

Their situation is quite tear-jerking, as most of them now have no access to the numerous uses to which they used to put their cattle.

They no longer have assets to dispose of and tackle the occasional social expenditure or in most cases to extract the milk and beef that they used to get from the animals.

The farmers’ sorry situation will serve as a watershed of many bitter lessons that many will naturally remember for years to come or try to forget very quickly, while those that are astute enough to pick the cue, will never allow themselves to be caught wanting again.

They will now religiously pay attention to the popular cliché — once beaten twice shy — and always prepare for any rough patches they may encounter in their line of business at any given time.

Many farmers have embraced the concept of categorising farming as a business, but they have always concentrated on the crop side of things and when they think of diversifying to livestock they have often targeted small units such as goats and poultry.

The majority have kept cattle for various reasons, ranging from using them as draught power, sources of protein and milk, and to the sentimental, where they use them as a status symbol, yet do very little to safeguard their continued existence.

That they lost cattle to tick-borne diseases, which they could have mitigated against is not a secret to anyone, while the idea of holding onto the animals without selling one or two to save the entire herd is as nauseating as the word sounds.

Very few farmers from the smallholder sector seem to have embraced the concept of keeping cattle as a business, as most of them seem to believe that the business part of farming is strictly to do with crop farming and cattle are accessories to their success in that regard.

This has seen the majority of them investing very little in cattle, yet every year they even get into debt trying to raise capital to buy inputs and meet the production costs that come with crop farming.

Many have entered contract arrangements that have enabled them to produce crops viably or even pushed them into more trouble after failing to repay the loans.

In most cases, cattle are some of the farmers’ possessions that are later disposed of to settle the debts, yet the farmer does not go to any length to secure their welfare the way he does for crops.

Cattle farmers just need to realise that if they cannot invest into the welfare of their beasts, then instead of looking for contractors every year they should try out something like an insurance policy to act as a fall-back in the event of a disaster or disease outbreak that might harm or kill their most prized possessions — the cattle.

When cattle insurance is part of a comprehensive farm plan it can help the farmer alleviate the financial stress and strain caused by disasters and it is an important part of protecting the farm and agri-business interests as well.

But first things first — the farmer must have the insurance policy pertaining to animals kept and raised on farms for the purpose of selling them for a profit.

In other words, these are animals kept for business purposes and not just for the sake of being an owner.

Farms and other businesses that raise or house livestock may lose money if the animals are injured or if they die due to disasters or diseases, so farmers can protect themselves against the loss of valuable animals by purchasing livestock insurance.

This insurance is typically used to cover domesticated animals such as cattle, sheep, pigs and goats.

The importance of livestock insurance is that it protects the value of all animals on farms and it is chiefly life insurance for animals.

Raising livestock can be an unpredictable project and in the process plenty of things can go amiss.

These things may include accidents involving the animals like electrocution, accidental shootings, falling objects and lightning strikes.

Animal attacks by other animals or humans are also possible, while thefts and vandalism are always a possibility to consider, with injuries happening too, especially if the animals are being loaded or unloaded onto or from a ferry.

There are natural disasters like lightning, floods, diseases and droughts which the farmer has no control over, yet there is still need to recover from them if they happen.

With an insurance policy, the farmer is protected from monetary losses brought by the above mentioned causes and many others.

The farmer is also protected against the high cost of lawsuits brought by the animals attacking humans or destroying properties.

But insurance arrangements come with terms and conditions, which both parties — the farmer and the insurer — need to abide by, failure of which disputes may inevitably ensue, sometimes ending in the courts of law.

If the farmer fails to respect the deal, the result in most cases is termination.

The farmer will walk out with nothing, so the insurance route requires a committed farmer who sees cattle farming as a business on its own.

It is disappointing to note that most farmers are realising now, when it is already late, that they should have at least disposed of some stock to save the rest or should have embarked on their own dipping programmes without waiting for those initiated and spearheaded by the Department of Veterinary Services, which has not been very fluent in recent times.