Role of Veterinarians & Livestock Sector for “Viksit Bharat @2047”
Dr. Shubhangi Warke
1 Professor and Head, Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Nagpur Veterinary College, Nagpur-440006
Abstract
Veterinarians are fundamental elements of a progressing society owing to their contribution to the healthcare of animals and our country’s overall economy facilitated through the livestock sector. The vision of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 is possible only when the animals of this country are well kept and provided with all necessities as they are a major contributor to our economic growth. The role played by veterinarians in governing the livestock sector is crucial not only for the prevention of potential disease epidemics but also for ensuring food safety, food security, public health, and awareness. This article explores the role of veterinarians in production, conservation, education, management, and research with this being a great avenue for new growth opportunities.
Keywords
Veterinarians, Public Health, livestock genetic resource, Next Generation Sequencing, IoT
Introduction
Veterinarians are often recognized as healthcare professionals who are skilled in their clinical practices often dealing with the alleviation of pain and treatment of diseases suffered by the animals. Although these hold a significant part of a veterinarian’s job, there are far more contemporary roles that are as important as the conventional roles. Over many years the, roles of veterinarians in society as important contributors have increased with involvement in food security, public health, biomedical research, livestock production, vaccine development, surveillance of disease outbreaks, educators, trainers, policymakers, and many others. Veterinarians must ensure the well-being of animals along with maintenance of livestock production and prevention of outbreak of zoonotic diseases which in turn ensures the growth of a competent society. Farmers are the backbone of the Indian society and livestock rearing is one of the major sources of livelihood with cattle and buffaloes being used for milk production and chickens, sheep, and goats being used for meat purposes. According to the data, total milk production and egg production amounts to 230.58 million and 138.38 billion respectively which are major contributors to the Indian economy. The agenda of “Viksit Bharat @2047” initiated by the Indian government focuses on transforming India as a developed nation to ensure steady economic growth, social progress, and environmental sustainability. Thus, the role played by veterinarians is crucial to the growth of the economy through livestock production, mitigation of diseases, promoting public health awareness, and ensuring food quality and abundance. In this article, we will shed light on the role of the veterinarian and livestock sector in ensuring the steady growth of the Indian economy to propel the progress of our nation to a developed one.
Various roles played by veterinarians and the livestock sector
- Ensuring food security, safety and quality
The livestock sector is the most important contributor to the economy and amounts to about 30.19% of the GDP of the agricultural and allied sectors. As the world is progressing, the growing demand for foods of animal origin such as meat, milk, and eggs for human consumption is increasing all over the world. Thus, the role of veterinarians in ensuring food safety and quality is necessary for the prevention of disease outbreaks in the general population via meat consumption. Moreover, maintaining the health and productivity of the livestock animals is requisite to ensure the abundance of food and livelihood resources for people. Working in slaughterhouses, and production farms ensures the inspection of food for contamination. Regular checkups, vaccinations, encouraging clean milking practices, and deworming by veterinarians ensure improved health and reduced losses in animal rearing.
- Empowerment of farmers through government initiatives
The government initiatives implemented by the veterinarians working in the field conditions in a rural setting are necessary to ensure treatment facilities as well as monetary provisions to the farmers to help them in better production and rearing of livestock animals. There have also been provisions of loans by NDDB (National Dairy Development Board) to farmers in the event of crisis conditions to assist the farmer-produce organizations. Moreover, kisan credit cards were provided to Animal Husbandry and dairy farmers during the year 2019 to help the landless Animal Husbandry farmers which were also managed by the veterinarians. The goal of the National Livestock Mission (NLM), which falls under the Development Program umbrella, is to enhance the production of beef, goat milk, eggs, and wool while also fostering entrepreneurship and creating jobs.
- Enhance the production of animals using Artificial Insemination
The production and reproduction of enhanced livestock animals are maintained through artificial insemination. This procedure is performed by veterinary specialists with due care to ensure increased reproductive efficiency and production. AI is conducted with the selection of a superior sire to ensure that selective productive traits are transferred to the progeny. Eg. Selection of milk traits in Holstein Friesian cows. This procedure ensures the breeding of improved and quality livestock to increase production to meet the demands of the consumers.
- Ensuring public health safety
Veterinarians play an important role in ensuring the safety of public health in case of a zoonotic spillover crisis. Monitoring and surveillance of potential disease outbreaks is one of the important jobs and requires inspection of dead caresses, and animal products such as meat, milk, eggs, etc. Moreover, ensuring the reporting of notifiable diseases to authorities is also a concerned with vets. Mass vaccinations to control diseases such as rabies, brucellosis, Foot and Mouth disease, Lumpy skin disease, etc are also the major agendas of veterinarians. In case of a zoonotic disease outbreak, the opinions of veterinarians are sought out to ensure early elimination of the disease. As veterinarians are the primary source working at the site of outbreak, it helps in the detection of probable epidemic events and is of great benefit to society. Veterinary practitioners are also accountable for biosecurity. Everyone who has responsibilities for animals and/or animal products—both farm and companion animals—must contribute to this collaborative effort. Given the constant risk of zoonotic infections, veterinarians’ efforts have been and may continue to be beneficial. To prevent foot and mouth disease and brucellosis, the Hon. Prime Minister launched the National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) in September 2019. The program aims to vaccinate all cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and pigs against FMD and all bovine female calves aged 4 to 8 months against brucellosis.
- Conservation of genetic livestock resource
The diversity of the livestock resources is wide and has been recognized in terms of various species, breeds, and unique genotypes. Animal production has increased over the past few years and is crucial to meet the demands of people. Loss of enhanced indigenous breeds due to inappropriate management strategies has proven to be devastating for the loss of this abundant livestock resource. Therefore, strategies for genetically improving both indigenous as well as exquisite breeds have become necessary to ensure the conservation of valuable genetic traits. Conservation of livestock diversity is essential for improving the efficiency of livestock production. Methods such as in situ preservation of breeds and ex-situ (cryopreservation of ovum, semen, embryos, etc) conservation have become prevalent for reserving genetic livestock resources. Livestock breeds such as Vechur and Punganur cattle, Bhakarwal and Gurej sheep, Jamunapari, and Beetal are at risk in India and necessary actions need to be taken by both veterinarians and the government for their conservation. The National Gene Bank, which was founded by the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources in Karnal, India, with the aim of conserving livestock biodiversity, is the only gene bank now in existence for the conservation of animal genetic resources. Cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, camels, yaks, horses, and 311 males of 44 different types of animals are currently stored there, totalling 129174 deep-frozen semen dosages.
- Conservation of wildlife biodiversity
Veterinarians play a prominent role in the conservation of wildlife by providing necessary healthcare, propagating conservation efforts, advising on the needs and environment of animals. Institutes such as the Wildlife Institute of India, IVRI (Indian Veterinary Research Institute), and ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) are engaged in constant efforts to conserve wildlife through rehabilitation, conservation, breeding, and elimination of poachers. Projects such as Project Tiger, Elephant and Rhino etc are many of the agendas set by the government and to be enforced by veterinarians and wildlife conservationists to save the wildlife of India.
- Cutting-edge biotechnological research
Biotechnological advancements such as next-generation sequencing, omics studies such as metagenomics, and recombinant DNA technology have facilitated the development of novel drugs and vaccines for the prevention and treatment of diseases while decreasing the risk of the spread of pandemics. Next-generation sequencing technologies have enhanced the detection of novel pathogens and determine any mutations to prevent a zoonotic outbreak. mRNA technology has proven to be beneficial in control of the recent COVID-19 pandemic without the need for in vitro studies which are time-consuming and laborious. Veterinarians are often the researchers involved in vaccine or drug studies and thus are an essential factor in controlling of diseases by dissemination of necessary knowledge in the scientific community to further propel the efforts of disease control.
- Educating the farmers and companion animal owners
Educating farmers and pet owners on the various diseases affecting livestock and pet animals and bringing awareness to vaccination campaigns is necessary for early detection as well as treatment of the animals. Communication of veterinarians with both farmers and pet owners facilitates harmony and social security in society and helps to prevent future disease outbreaks as well as provides an effective flow of valuable information.
- Innovations by veterinarians in the livestock sector
Using technology like sensors, data analytics, and automated systems, precision livestock farming has become a game-changing breakthrough in the sector, allowing for the individual or herd-level monitoring and management of cattle. Livestock production is being revolutionized by smart farming technology and the Internet of Things (IoT), which make it possible to monitor and control a variety of production parameters in real-time. Wearable sensors, environmental monitors, and automated feeding systems are examples of Internet of Things devices that offer useful information on the behavior, health, and environmental circumstances of animals. This data helps with better resource management, feeding schedule optimization, and early disease identification.
Conclusion
The nation’s economy and advancement are greatly aided by veterinarians and the livestock industry. Veterinarians’ efforts to boost output, guarantee food safety, public health safety, food security, etc., are essential to making our country a developed one that can compete with its international partners. The inclusive efforts of veterinarians regarding the expansion of the livestock sector further accelerate the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. Veterinarians support sustainability, progress, and innovation, all of which are necessary for building a better nation. By promoting veterinary practices, education, and inventions, our nation can continue to expand, with the livestock industry serving as one of its main economic drivers.
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