Animal Health Packages

Livestock Protective Fence (LPF) for enhanced milk production and mastitis control in intensive zero-

grazing dairy farms in Kenya

International Fund for Agricultural Development

Food and Agricultural Organization of UN

R.K. Saini, B. Bauer, M. Mattoni, R.C. Mattoli and P. Muasa

• Cows in zero grazing units attract flies which bite the animals and cause agitation, spread diseases and contribute to unsanitary conditions.

• Flies reduce productivity of dairy cows and cause weight loss

• Wounds from stable and biting flies may become infected

• In some areas even tsetse flies are attracted to zero-grazing units

Zero-grazing Units and flies

Productivity of smallholder dairy cows is constrained by multiple of animal diseases e.g. mastitis, helminthosis, tick borne diseases and in some cases tsetse transmitted trypanosomiasis

• Waste pits are breeding grounds of biting (including mosquitoes) and non-biting flies

• Waste management is also a problem

Waste pits and flies

Biting flies in Zero Grazing Units

Stomoxys on a cow A Cow responding to biting flies while feeding

Stable and other biting flies mechanically transfer disease agents to the animal hosts causing, eye infections and mastitis

• Determine the diseases affecting their cattle and control practices being adopted

• Assess the status of the zero grazing units

• Identify appropriate project sites for interventions

• Activities within the Smallholder Dairy Commercialization Programme (SDCP) which covers 9 districts (GoK project funded by IFAD)

Development of site specific Animal Health Packages

As part of development of site specific animal health packages, a Rapid Rural Appraisal of zero-grazing units in Kenya was undertaken to:

ICIPE team setting a NGU trap

CDC trap

Entomological

Baseline data collection

Fly catches in Kisii

Baseline data collection

Entomological

Fly catches in Bungoma

Baseline parasitological data collection

Animal diseases identified in Kisii prior to intervention

Baseline data collection

Parasitological

Animal diseases identified in Bungoma

• In Kisii, 105 zero- grazing units and waste pits were protected with LPF as part of development of site specific animal health packages

• In Bungoma – 30 semi-zero grazing units were protected

LPFs as part of Animal Health Package

Kisii

Bungoma

Flies travel at low levels (<1.5m) and will land on the LPF, pick up the insecticide (deltamethrin) and die within 24 hours (10-20 sec exposure is enough)

LPF supplied by Vestergaard Frandsen

HOW LPF WORKS

Flies are attracted to odours of animals in pens

LPF (Insecticide treated screen) is attached to pen perimeter

Flies don’t see open mash; land on it and are killed by insecticide in fibers of the screen

Milk off-take Kisii

Increase wrt ControlNetting: 45%Waste: 27%

Milk off-take Kisii

Milk off-take Bungoma

Increase wrt control 40%

Milk Off take in Kisii

Before LPFs Mosocho produced the least milk while Keumbu produced the most amongst the Dairy Commercialization Areas (DCAs) under SDCP in Kisii

After introduction of LPFsmilk production in Mosocho has surpassed all the DCAs where LPFs were not introduced

Mastitis Kisii

Mastitis Kisii

Reduction wrt ControlNetting: 63%Waste: 46%

Mastitis Kisii

Mastitis Bungoma

Mastitis Bungoma

Mastitis prevalence reduced by 46% wrt control

Stomoxys (FTD) in Kisii

Stomoxys (FTD) in Kisii

% reduction wrt control 52%

Stomoxys (FTD) Bungoma

Mosquitoes (FTD) in Kisii

Impact on malaria morbidity Kisii

Households falling sick of malaria

Impact on malaria morbidity Kisii

Impact on malaria morbidity Kisii

Impact on malaria morbidity - Bungoma

% reduction wrt control 36%

Social and Economic Impacts of Livestock Protective Fence (LPF) Technology for Protecting Dairy Cows in

Zero-grazing Enterprises in Kenya

Dairy cows of 76% respondents had previous mastitis infections

No. of biting flies positively correlated with mastitis infections (r=0.406 at 0.01 significance level)

LPNF mastitis incidence in Kisii & Bungoma

Mean mastitis infections per

cow before LPNF use

Mean mastitis infections per

cow after LPNF use

% change

Kisii Zero grazing LPNF 3.94 0.47 88.07% Waste Pit LPNF 3.71 1.81 51.21% Control (No LPNF) 3.5 3.5 - Bungoma 2.67 0.25 91%

Mean number of mastitis incidence in Kisii and Bungoma before and after LPNF use

• 80 % farmers cite biting flies as a serious constraint causing animal irritability, agitation (97%); interference with stall feeding, wastage of feeds (scattering and trampling of feed – 100%)

• Common method of controlling flies – swatting

• Use of human capital - during milking 2 persons deployed – one for swatting and one for milking

• farmers estimate a loss of 1.5 liters per milking event before LPFs – loss of 27% milk in Kisii and 33% in Bungoma

Constraint of flies to animal production

Mean milk yields (litres/cow/day) in Kisii and Bungoma

LPNFs positively influence milk off-take by:

• reducing the number of biting and non-biting flies

• reducing disease morbidity

• improving dairy animal feeding behavior

• improving milking experience both for the animal and the farmer.

LPNFs and Milk Production

Mean milk yield (litres/cow/day) in two years

Before LPNF After LPNF Percentage change

Kisii Zero grazing LPNF 5.99 8.18 37%

Kisii Waste Pit LPNF 5.25 6.98 33%

Overall Kisii LPNF 5.62 7.58 35% Kisii No LPNF (Control) 5.17 5.17

Bungoma zero grazing LPNF

4.50 7.65 70%

Bungoma No LPNF (Control)

4.69 4.69

• LPNFs have positive effect on human health.

• LPNFs around zero grazing units were more effective in controlling malaria-causing mosquitoes than nets around waste pits

• This could be attributed to attraction of mosquitoes to humans and cattle which are in closer proximity of dwelling units next to zero grazing units than waste pits.

Impact on LPNFs on human diseases

Mean malaria infections per household per year Mean malaria infections per household per year

Before LPNF After LPNF Percentage change

Kisii Zero grazing LPNF 4.44 1.76 60% Kisii Waste Pit LPNF 5.08 2.40 53% Kisii No LPNF (Control) 4.70 - Bungoma zero grazing LPNF 4.92 1.92 61% Bungoma No LPNF (Control group)

5.14 -

Gender and development impacts of LPNFs

LPNFs and gross economic benefits from milk sales

Table 7: Gender disaggregated milk yields and gross economic benefits

County LPNF Household type

Mean milk production

before LNPF

(Litres/Day)

Mean milk production after LNPF (Litres/Day)

Yield gain

(Litres /day)

*Average additional economic

gain/HH/day (Ksh)

Gross annual benefit/ Hh/Year (Ksh.)

Gross annual benefit/ Hh/Year (US$)

Kisii Male 6.63 9.22 2.59 129.63 27,222 324.07

Female 4.61 6.48 1.87 93.48 19,630 233.70

Bungoma Male 4.4 7.5 3.1 186.00 39,060 465.00

Female 4.6 7.8 3.2 192.00 40,320 480.00

Market price for milk in Kisii Ksh.50/litre and Bungoma Ksh.60/litre

* Average cost of treating uncomplicated mastitis is Ksh. 3000 (US$35.71)/animal for a single incident

LPNF and cost savings in the reduction of mastitis infections

Table 10: Gender disaggregated savings from reduced mastitis infections per household over a 2 year period

County LPNF Household type

Mean mastitis

infections per Hh 2

years before LNPF

Mean mastitis

infections per Hh 2

years after LNPF

Variance *Average cost saving

per Hh (Ksh)

Average cost saving per Hh

(US $)

Kisii Male 3.85 0.65 3.19 9,577 114

Female 3.81 1.63 2.19 6,563 78

Bungoma Male 2.63 0.25 2.38 7,125 85

Female 2.72 0.25 2.47 7,395 88

Picture by M. Mattoni

Combined economic benefits two years after LPNFs

Table 13: Combined economic benefits realised in two years after LPNF Benefit Average cost

savings per Hh after LPNF (US $)

Additional average gross income per Hh after LPNF

(US $) Kisii Bungoma Kisii Bungoma Additional milk sales after LPNF 556 944 Cost savings in treatment of complicated malaria per household

1187.5 1031.74

Cost savings in treatment of mastitis infections 96.07 86.43

Cost savings in treatment of helminthosis infections 28.19 39.3

Cost savings in reduced livestock mortality 670 611

Average combined cost savings per household 1,981.76 1,768.47 Average direct earnings per household 556 944 Total average benefit per household (cost savings + direct earnings)

2537.76 2712.47

• 100% of farmers in Bungoma and Kisii rate LPF to be very effective against controlling biting and non biting flies.

• All farmers want to continue using the LPF technology.

• All control group farmers are willing to adopt the technology

• No major negative effects were reported except for skin irritation upon contact with LPNF (20% of farmers in Kisii)

How much are farmers ready to pay for LPNFs?

• Bungoma: Ksh. up to 200 (US$2.35) /m/yr (average Ksh.120/ m/yr -US$1.41)

• Kisii: Ksh. up to 100 (US$1.8)/m/yr (average Ksh. 75/m/yr -US$ 0.9)

Farmers perceptions of the LPF technology

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eD6Ve_SjW08 on FAO website

Netting in a Dairy Farm in Nebraska, USA

Introduced by USDA in June 2013

International Fund for Agricultural Development

Private Sector- LPF supplied by Vestergaard Frandsen

Acknowledgements

Centre International de Recherche-Developpement Sur l'Elevage en Zone Subhumide

Consultants: B. Bauer - Free University of Berlin, Institute for Parasitology and Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Berlin, Germany

M. Mattoni - Università degli Studi di Torino Facoltà di Medicina Veterinaria Dipartimento di Produzioni Animali, Epidemiologia ed Ecologia Via Leonardo Da Vinci, Italy

Technical Staff:John AndokePeter MuasaDavid MbuviTiberius MareteJohn NgielaPhilip L. Kolei Caroline Muya