The Sunday News
Mhlupheki Dube
A DISCUSSION with a colleague on the use of artificial insemination (AI) as an option in breeding improvement especially for the smallholder farmers got me seriously convinced that Government departments such as Livestock Production Department (LPD) and the Veterinary Department need to do more in terms of regulating this technology.
There are revelations that in some areas where AI has been tried for communal farmers it has left more wounded and in the process stigmatising an otherwise important technology.
Farmers have been left with empty cows and service providers have disappeared into thin air with no recourse to farmers who will have forked some money for their animals to be inseminated. In some cases it is alleged that the service provider did not even do pregnancy diagnoses (PDs).
The question that I ask myself is why should a service provider, that is, the person who buys the semen straws and inseminates the animals, be left to waltz away smiling all the way to the bank while farmers are left to count their losses? Farmers paid for a service which is inseminating their cows so that they can get calves of a better breed and hence lay a foundation of breed improvement.
While it is a known fact that AI has low conception rates compared to natural service, it cannot be acceptable that out of a total of 33 cows inseminated none of them conceived and yet the service provider got his payment in full.
This is no less than swindling poor communal farmers and it should not be tolerated.
I know very well that there are many factors that have to be considered for a successful conception.
These include the body score condition of the animal, its health status especially relating to diseases such as Contagious Abortion and vibriosis, vitality of the semen itself and finally the expertise of the service provider insofar as inseminating is concerned.
All these factors in books point to the service provider. He/she should be able to discount animals which are in bad body condition, must test all animals for the diseases mentioned above, should procure semen straws from reputable sources and the semen should be proven to be alive.
Finally he/she is the one who does the actual insemination and therefore should be skilled enough to have the precision that is demanded by this delicate technology.
If you are still practicing why not practice on your own animals and leave farmers alone or at least make them pay when there is a successful conception? You can’t have poor smallholder communal farmers paying for your practicals on their animals.
They give you their cows, pay for the semen — dead or alive and also pay for your practice, what cheek! It’s like someone giving you their car, fuel it and then ask them to pay you so that you do your driving lessons.
The Government departments mentioned above should vet and screen service providers and ensure that they are not left to run rings around poor farmers.
We can’t have every green novice let loose on the farmers just to go away with fat pockets while farmers are left to count their losses and lick their wounds. An empty cow is a wasted season to a farmer because his animal may not be serviced again during that year especially if the veld is bad and animals lose condition.
This article is therefore a plea to relevant Government arms to ensure that only properly trained and experienced technicians are allowed to carry out such delicate exercises such as AI.
To the development agencies that usually advocate for such technology I say please draft reasonable contracts with your service providers. I will be happy with one that provides for payment after independent PDs have confirmed conception. In fact it is unethical to have the service provider doing the insemination and PDs. These should be done by two different professionals.
On a separate note Lupane District held a livestock indaba on Friday which brought together an array of players in the livestock industry such as abattoir operators, auctioneers, input suppliers, farmers’ union, university lecturers, Government department heads, microfinance institutions and farmers themselves.
The indaba provided players with a discussion platform on the topical issue of livestock marketing. This pen wishes to thank all the players who attended and the contributions made towards building a vibrant livestock market in Lupane.
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