Elita Chikwati Senior Reporter

Farmers need to continue dipping livestock to reduce tick-borne diseases that have negatively affected cattle, the Department of Veterinary Services has said.

Some farmers had stopped taking their cattle for dipping due to the 21-day lockdown called by the Government to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

Government declared the agriculture sector an essential industry and services have continued.

Department of Veterinary Services chief director Dr Josphat Nyika yesterday urged farmers to continue taking their cattle for dipping while observing lockdown regulations.

Dr Nyika said his department, which is under the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement was not on lockdown hence farmers should dip cattle weekly to protect them from tick-borne diseases.

He expressed concern that some farmers, especially in the Midlands Province, had not been dipping their livestock because of the lockdown.

“Dipping of cattle is continuing under lockdown. Chemicals are available and livestock should be protected from tick-borne diseases especially January disease (Theileriosis). The problem of tick-borne diseases is still with us. Farmers should take their cattle to the usual dip tanks on the usual days of dipping.

“Both farmers and dip attendants should take precautionary measures such as observing social distance and washing hands. Dip attendants who hold stock cards should wear masks and gloves,” he said.

For now, animal to human transmission of Covid-19 has not been documented and authorities are worried about human transmission, hence the encouragement to adhere to safety regulations.

Tick-borne diseases have affected the country, with farmers losing over 50 000 cattle to January Disease in 2018.

The Department of Veterinary Services is still waiting for the crop and livestock assessment report to establish the number of cattle that died due to tick-borne diseases last year.

Tick-borne diseases account for 20 percent of livestock deaths in Zimbabwe.