The vaccination of the entire bovine herd contra aphtose fever is maintained in all its terms. Nearly 13 million doses have already been distributed to the regional offices, said the head of the General Directorate of Livestock Services (MGAP), Diego De Freitas. In this way, the chief shot down the rumors that were circulating in the sector and generated nervousness among veterinarians and producers.
Among those rumors was that this immunization period for bovines would be skipped due to drought, lack of food for cattle and the incidence of both in the immunity of the herd.
The period starts tomorrow (15) and will last until April 30, taking into account the special conditions generated by the drought that continues to punish the field. The goal is to maintain good herd immunity, vaccinate carefully, avoid stress in the animals and ensure immunity, in order to maintain export markets and the advantages that Uruguay was able to gain over other meat exporters.
The producer must collect the doses by presenting the Dicose Affidavit as of June 30, 2022, the updated sanitary control form and a conservative with ice or refrigerant, in sufficient quantity to guarantee the cold of the doses that are removed.
De Freitas recalled that among the changes generated in this period, which will be 45 days and not 30, is that once the cattle are vaccinated, in terms of movement, normally 15 days, now it goes to 10 days.
“It is a measure that was consulted with epidemiology, virology and laboratories. With the immunity situation and the non-viral presence, we are in a position to do it exceptionally for this period and allow movements with 10 days of vaccinated because immunity is generated at that time and we will not have any problems, ”he said in the framework from a report by Rurales El País.
The General Director of Livestock Services reiterated that the proposals made by the unions and producers to move the cattle will be analyzed: “everyone will be attended to”, but he clarified that what the MGAP cannot do “is to generalize the proposals. All cattle movements will not be made more flexible because vaccination control is lost, that is why we are open to studying the proposals made by the producers and studying the cases”.
Care. It is important to handle cattle calmly and apply the vaccine well to avoid abscesses in the animal, as well as respect waiting times to avoid contaminating the final product. The average number of seizures due to abscesses in the meat processing industry is 260 grams per animal, but in extreme cases it reaches 1,750 grams. For this reason, the Uruguayan meat chain loses US$2 million annually, Marfrig Global Foods recalled on its Twitter account.
The vaccine must be applied only in the bovine neck table and subcutaneously. The application of the doses in the hindquarters should always be avoided, where some of the most valuable cuts are. Likewise, when the needles are bent due to a bad application, they must be changed immediately.