Fungal-hit barseem strikes cattle

Our Correspondent

Tarn Taran, March 30

A fungal disease in the seasonal green fodder, barseem, is causing illness among cattle in the district. The diseased fodder crop was causing losses from many aspects and animal deaths too had been reported from certain villages. While some of the farmers have harvested their fodder crops in advance by more than two months.

According to the information collected from Rasulpur Kalan, Raspulpur Khurd, Alawalpur, Dugalwala, Benwalipur and other villages the same disease was appeared last year too. Satnam Kaur, sarpanch of Rasulpur village, said her good breed disease-ridden cow was infected on March 27. Inspite of treatment given to the cow it died on March 28. She said that the infected cattle drop taking fodder and milk production too was sharply decreased.

Sarwan Singh, Dharam Singh and Dilbag Singh, secretary of the Raspulpur area, said they had tilled their fodder crops in months advance and had destroyed the crops.

The frightened farmers stated that infected cattle start showing the symptoms of the disease few days ago included secretion of froth from mouth.

Dr Harinderpal Singh Chandi, Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry Department, said as he had not been informed by any of the animal farmer before he now was going to instruct the staff of the department working in the field to collect information regarding the disease and treatment would be provided to the infected animals .The Deputy Director said that this disease was often seen at the time of change in the season when the fodder crops go much developed and the lower part of the standing crop was deprived of the sun shining as a results fungal disease appeared and it affects the animal.

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