The Hindu : A.P. contests Union Ministry's order on cattle deportation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 18, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

A.P. contests Union Ministry's order on cattle deportation

By K. Venkateshwarlu

HYDERABAD AUG. 17. The Andhra Pradesh Government is surprised at the reported Union Agriculture Ministry's order on deportation of 200 breeding cattle it has imported from Australia after much lobbying, and contested the claim that these animals were afflicted with Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD).

V. Ramalinga Raju, Chief Executive Officer of the State-owned Andhra Pradesh Livestock Development Agency (APLDA) told The Hindu that the blood and serum samples of all the animals sent by the Union Agriculture Ministry to the internationally approved Office International Epizootics (OIE) Referral Laboratory in the United Kingdom have tested negative.

The samples were sent to the OIE, recognised as the world authority on livestock diseases, after the APLDA contested the findings of the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal reported certain animals to be BVD positive. He pointed out that 30 random samples sent earlier to the OIE, too tested negative.

In all, the APLDA-ordered import of 201 Holstein Friesham and Jersey breed bulls and pregnant heifers from Australia for the Centrally-funded Rs. 2.6-crore project for improving the quality of breedable cattle in Andhra Pradesh, under the National Project on Cattle and Buffalo Breeding. They are now housed in a quarantine station near Chennai.

Senior veterinary officials here said against the normal 30 days, the animals were kept in "pathetic conditions'' at the station for the last four months, since their arrival on April 28, for "reasons best known'' to the Union Agriculture Ministry. The station lacked some of the basic facilities and even the feed is being sent from Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh.

In fact, the prolonged detention of these animals has become contentious warranting intervention by the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu. In a letter to the Union Agriculture Minister, Ajit Singh, Mr. Naidu expressed concern at the state of the animals at the station and sought their immediate release, all the stipulated tests having been completed. A group of Telugu Desam MPs followed suit with another representation.

Disputing the quarantine station's claim that the seven animals died of BVD, Dr. Raju produced the post-mortem examination reports indicating that their death was mainly due to stress/peritonitis (4), toxaemia (1), shock (1) and debility (1), all bacterial in origin and not viral.

Dr. Raju dismissed another of the Union Agriculture Ministry's contention that the BVD was an exotic disease not recorded in the country and said 15 to 29 per cent of cattle in 16 States and 23.21 per cent of buffaloes in nine States have reported sero-positive for BVD.

In support of his argument, he showed a number of research papers, including the one by Dr. M. Rajashekar, Director of Animal Disease Monitoring and Surveillance, Bangalore, who won prestigious award from OIE and two others. Another veterinary scientist, Dr. Dighe of Mumbai, confirmed the existence of BVD in Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. In a manual, the OIE showed that the distribution of BVD virus was not confined to few countries but was worldwide.

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A.P. contests Union Ministry's order on cattle deportation