SOCIO- ECONOMIC STUDY ON THE IMPACT OF LUMPY SKIN DISEASE ON COWS IN QALYUBIA GOVERNORATE

In view of the importance of development of the animal production sector, the spread of some epidemiological diseases in Egypt during the years 2018 and 2019, the most important of which was the lumpy skin disease. This caused many breeders to suffer large economic losses.which aimed the identification of the economic and social effects of lumpy skin disease on cows in Qalyubia Governorate by identifying the status of local production of red meat in Egypt, the time development of immunization with lumpy skin vaccine, identifying the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, the most important variables of biosafety, the differences between the knowledge of the respondents in the different groups and estimating the extent of the loss caused by the lumpy skin disease on the small producers, the identification of the most important indicators of productivity and economic efficiency of the head of dairy cows and the behavior of consumers and the butchers and the economic, social and environmental impacts expected due to the spread of the disease and finally identify the problems of producers and their proposals to cope with the disease. The present study was conducted in the districts of Al-Qanatir Al-Khairiya and Al-Khanka, using a questionnaire designed and tested to collect data on a sample of 189 respondents divided into four groups represented by the breeders who had the disease in their farms and the farmers who do not have the disease, the consumers and the butchers. Some statistical measures are used in economic analysis such as regression and (T) test and ANOVA using SPSS. The study found the following results: The increase in the quantities of all red meat types produced each year, which was significant and the quantity of beef produced was affected by time factors whose effect was greater than that on other types of red meat produced. The role of preventive medicine in the immunizations against lumpy skin disease has been reduced which help of the extension of the increasing epidemiological foci of the disease in recent times. There is an inverse relationship between the educational level and the breeder's experience of increasing the numbers of infected animals and the reluctance of the majority of breeders to inform government agencies about the disease, in addition to the lack of the knowledge of the disease and how to prevent and cure it. More than half of the breeders do not care about bio-safety factors such as immunization, isolation of animals, and changing and cleaning of the cow bedding. The effect of significant differences between the knowledge of the respondents regarding the procedures for isolating infected or suspected animals, changing and disinfecting the bedding, and the sanitary disposal of carcasses of dead animals by burning or burial, as well as the measures to vaccinate animals by the vaccine The high mortality rate in calves compared to cows due to the severity of the effect of the disease on small calves and low resistance compared to large animals in the sample, and the losses value in the died farm animals from cows and their calves in the sample was about 484.6 thousand pounds and the total losses from the infection of cattle in the sample amounted to 1349.8 thousand pounds. The negative impact of the disease on the return of the invested pound and the profit margin of the producer in infection time, in addition to the low rate of economic efficiency to the lowest rate, compared to before the infection time and after the treatment. Fatma A. M. El-Bateh et al., ................................................................................................................................... 70 Sixty five% of consumers in the sample decreased their consumption of red meat during the period of the disease spread and 80% of consumers indicated that beef prices declined, while prices of beef substitutes increased, while 40% of consumers increased their consumption of bovine red meat substitutes (poultry, fish, beans). Seventy five % of butchers reduced the number of weekly slaughters, 85% of butchers cut the price of beef, and 80% of butchers indicated that low price during the crisis, although they continued their activity. Losses in the infected area resulted from the death of infected animals, leading to higher prices of meat to the consumer and increase hunger in the first rank among the effects expected to occur if the spread of the disease, followed by low milk production in the infected animals a large percentage, in addition to the execution of large quantities of milk from Infected animals, while in the last rank there was a long-term environmental disaster due to the use of dead animals by fish farmers as fish feed. The problem of delayed immunization and poor efficiency were in the first rank followed by untrained veterinary personnel, while the problem of unfair compensation and the timing of immunization in the last rank of the views of the respondents.