Government consider acaricide zoning to battle tick resistance

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The government through the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries-MAAIF is considering acaricide zoning as a lasting solution to the tick resistance challenge in the country.

Dr Anna Rose Ademun, the Commissioner of Animal Health, says creating zones for the four regions of the country will help the government guide and farmers understand the specific drugs to use in what area rather than a mixture drugs.

The commissioner says that now that most ticks have been exposed to most of the acaricides in all regions, finally they will zero on what acaricide works in what region for the best zoning.

She says the ministry is only waiting for the government to release funds to embark on the acaricide zoning exercise that exposes the ticks to one molecule.

Dr Ademun appealed to the farmers to welcome the zoning program when it rolls out massively in the country.

The revelation by Dr Ademun follows unending complaints raised by cattle farmers over tick resistance and failure to get the right acaricides to fight ticks.

For a decade now, ticks have caused losses to farmers who also have accused the National Drug Authority of failure to provide a solution for their animals that have continued to die because of tick resistance against alleged fake acaricides.

However, Safari Magyezi and Florence Bahikire, livestock farmers in Sanga town council insisted that farmers have followed the acaricide prescriptions but ticks have failed to die.

They want government through National Drug Authority to open regional shops and handle the business of acaricides to protect farmers from alleged fake products.

Abiaz Rwamwiri, the Public Relations Manager of National Drug Authority says much as farmers have failed to get the right acaricides to use, they are warned against using agrichemicals and herbicides which contaminate the milk and meat products thus affecting the export market.

Recently, the State Minister for Agriculture Bright Rwamirama, said that the government has set up many initiatives to fight tick, Foot and Mouth Disease, swine fever, and soon a vaccine will be released.

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