An Absolute Flop of A Colossal Project
These days everybody talking about a project that has gone tragically awry, and the most tragic is that everybody includes the professionals of the Department of Animal Production Health, who were involved in the project right from the beginning tearing over the failure of the Australian funded project, but nobody is willing to discuss actual blunders of the project, to save their heads and seats they are holding on. This project involves Australian - New Zealand high yield cows under Australia - Sri Lanka export deal backed by the former.
Does Sri Lanka have a permanent policy regarding import of live animals for various purposes?
No Sri Lanka, never adhered to a constant policy in this respect, a high yield live animal cannot be the sole criteria, as has been in the particular project - may be at the behest of over enthusiastic politician.
Auditor General Sri Lanka has been absolutely correct when he claimed that the cattle breeds imported are not suitable for Sri Lanka climatic condition, but his comment comes after everything had gone awry.
In 1980s Government of Sri Lanka, undertook various researches regarding cattle import - that suits local climatic condition, through Veterinary Research Institute (VRI - Gannuruwa), of Department of Animal Production Health. In one of those projects, Ministry of Rural Industrial Development then identified Australian Milking Zebu (AMZ) cattle, that originates from similar climatic conditions of Sri Lanka dry zone in Australia, imported about 400 AMZ cattle and were placed at Nikeweratiya Goverment Live Stock Farm (now NLDB farm) for further feasibility studies, - and even these cattle were total failure, at the best management of the govt. Farm, reported one or the other illness every other day - including some contagious diseases -with immunization breakdown and I was the area Veterinary Surgeon covering farm reported cases. All 400 died and perished over a period 3-4 years, finally it was concluded that - even the best cattle of Australian Dry Zone not fit for Sri Lanka Dry Zone dairy purpose.
As a result of prior and those researches it was accepted that if not a policy - that only cross breeds of Jersey of western countries, and Indian Pakistani breeds such as Sindhi, Sahiwal are suitable for dry zone dairy upgrading; whereas upcountry climate accepts the or adaptable to the European breeds that are also well acclimatize in Australia and New Zealand. This facts should be the basic knowledge of an area Veterinary Surgeon under whose per-view the implementation of all Dairy project finally comes.
As such what is the high yielding Australian Breed imported for this particular project, does the same AMZ - that flopped in 1980s, under any other name? If so the I pity the Government of Sri Lanka, and of Department of Animal Production Health - for their blunder - ignoring the scientific findings. All pictures floating on social media - suffering of the animals of this latest project reminds me the AMZ cattle of 1980 study all very similar to those then.
If it was any other breed that is well adopted to Australia and New Zealand conditions, again Sri Lankan authorities are at fault for ignoring acclimatization criteria for Sri Lankan conditions.
Another big question was how a lonely investor was inducted into buy 200 heads of cattle of unknown - at once - a fault at implementation, after the blunder in assessments of cattle selection.
Surprisingly Australia do not have a policy of Dairy Cattle export, whereas it has rigid policy for Beef Cattle export - that means any crook can approach the exporter sell any cattle as high yielding dairy cattle.
The reasons for the failure of this dreamed dairy project
1. Over enthusiastic politician embarking on a (dairy) project without proper knowledge
2. Lackluster officers of VRI - (Gannuruwa), and Spineless high officers of the Department of Animal Production Health then
3. Improper assessment at the level of beneficiary selection and kind of benefit (Dairy Cattle)
Author is a Mobile Veterinary Surgeon FAO
