The Fate and Management of Sick and Dying Cattle – Consequences on Small-Scale Dairy Farmers of Peri-Urban Areas in India

BACKGROUND: The livestock plays an important role in the economy of farmers. The mismanagement of sick and dying cattle leads to an increase in sanitation cost of municipalities, incidences of diseases by exposed carcasses, and hence more expenditure on avoidable health catastrophes. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to study the fate of sick and failing cattle and their detailed management regarding disposal of dead cattle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The qualitative research approach was used. The dual strategies of purposive sampling and snowballing were employed to identify potential respondents. The study was conducted 15 in-depth interviews among smallholder dairy farmers, scientists, officials of National Dairy Research Institute (NDRI), municipality officials, and veterinarians in peri-urban areas of Karnal, Haryana, located in North India. Data were analyzed based on the contents of these audio-recorded interviews. The recordings have transcribed and translated. After translation completion, a content analysis was performed manually to identify emerging themes and interconnections. RESULTS: This article highlighted three core themes such as impact of low literacy and awareness levels, role of informal forms of disposal, and preference of informal channels over municipality. CONCLUSIONS: There is a gap in current practices and management of sick and dying cattle. Small-scale farmers prefer to dispose their cattle in an informal way. It needs to improve animal welfare by modeling guidelines for disposal of dead cattle and its consequences pertaining to zoonoses.