Lubango - The Veterinary Department in central Huíla province on Monday said it has been waiting for over a year for 1.5 million doses of vaccines from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to immunize 1.2 million heads of cattle, ANGOP has learnt.
The province says it awaits doses of vaccines against nodular dermatitis, contagious peripneumonia, anthrax haematica, anthrax ATX and symptomatic for cattle controlled by 5.547 breeders.
A year ago, the province received doses that immunized 96,686 head of cattle, having exhausted its reserves of the drugs, a figure that falls short of the needs of more than 1,500 million.
The lack of the medicines is causing the death of at least 42 head of cattle per month, three for each municipality, as well as reducing the quality of meat in the region, the statement said.
The purchase of vaccines is carried out by the National Veterinary Services directorate, which operates under the umbrella of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Figures from the provincial office for Agriculture, farming and Fisheries show that Huíla province controls more than 3 million heads of cattle, mostly from traditional breeders. JT/MS/DAN/AMP
