Contemporary Issues – SS2 Livestock Farming Lesson Note (Third Term)

Contemporary issues in livestock farming are current problems that affect how farmers keep animals. Climate change is the long-term shift in temperatures and weather patterns, and it brings heat stress, water scarcity, poor pasture, new pests and flooding. Biosecurity is all the steps a farmer takes to keep germs such as viruses, bacteria and fungi away from animals.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• define climate change and state how it affects livestock;
• describe how climate change brings more pests, parasites and flooding problems;
• define biosecurity and explain why it is a contemporary issue;
• state the three pillars of biosecurity;
• list practical biosecurity measures for a farm.

How does climate change affect livestock?

We used to know exactly when the rains would start and when the heat would end. Today, things are different. Climate change is the long-term shift in temperatures and weather patterns. For a livestock farmer, this is a big problem because animals cannot carry umbrellas or turn on air conditioners.

Effects on our animals

1. Heat stress: When it is too hot, cows do not want to eat, and chickens can faint or die.
2. Water scarcity: During long droughts, streams dry up. Without enough water, a pig cannot grow, and a cow cannot produce milk.
3. Disappearing grass: Heat burns the pasture. When the grass dies, animals become thin (malnourished), and farmers have to travel long distances to find food for their cattle.

More pests and new diseases

Climate change also brings “uninvited guests”.

• The spread of tsetse flies: As some areas get warmer and wetter, pests like tsetse flies (which spread trypanosomiasis, also called sleeping sickness, in cows) move into new places where they were not seen before.
• Warm weather parasites: Worms and ticks love warm, damp weather. Climate change can make the “parasite season” last much longer, so the farmer has to spend more money on medicine.
• Flooding: Heavy, sudden rains can flood poultry houses or fish ponds. Standing water also brings mosquitoes and foot-rot diseases for sheep and goats.

What is biosecurity?

If climate change is a problem from the sky, biosecurity is how we protect our farm on the ground.

Biosecurity means all the steps a farmer takes to keep “bad germs” (viruses, bacteria and fungi) away from their animals. It is like having a “security guard” for your farm’s health.

Biosecurity is a contemporary (current) issue because diseases travel fast today. A bird flu outbreak in one state can reach your farm in 24 hours if you are not careful. Biosecurity is also cheaper than buying drugs for sick animals.

What are the three pillars of biosecurity?

To keep your farm safe, you must follow these three rules:

1. Isolation: Keep your animals away from other animals. This is why we have fences. It also means keeping “strange” people away from your pens.
2. Traffic control: This means controlling who enters the farm. Visitors can carry germs on their shoes or clothes.
3. Sanitation: This is the “wash and scrub” rule. Clean the feeders, the floors and even your own hands before touching the animals.

What practical biosecurity measures can a farm use?

Here is what a student should do to keep a farm safe:

• The footbath: Place a plastic tray with water and a strong disinfectant (like Izal or Germicide) at the entrance of every pen. Everyone must “step in” before going inside.
• Avoid “borrowing” tools: Never borrow a shovel or a wheelbarrow from a neighbour whose animals are sick. Germs hide on tools.
• Bird-proofing: For poultry farmers, use fine wire mesh to keep wild birds (like sparrows) out of the chicken house. Wild birds carry diseases that can wipe out your whole flock.
• Dead animal disposal: If an animal dies, never throw it in the bush or a river. Bury it deep in the ground or burn it (incineration) to kill the germs.

Student activity: the “climate-smart” farmer

Imagine you are building a new poultry house in a very hot part of Nigeria.

1. Would you make the roof very low or very high? Why?
2. In which direction should the long side of the building face (East-West or North-South) to avoid too much sun?
3. Design a simple “warning sign” to put at your farm gate to tell visitors to stay away.

Teacher’s final thought: We cannot stop the sun from shining or the rain from falling, so we build better houses for our animals. We cannot stop germs from existing, so we lock the “gate” of our farm against them.

Evaluation

1. Define climate change.
2. State three ways climate change affects livestock.
3. What is biosecurity, and why is it called a contemporary issue?
4. Name the three pillars of biosecurity.
5. Explain how a footbath works.

Assignment

1. Explain how climate change can increase the cost of medicine for a livestock farmer.
2. List four practical biosecurity measures and say why each one is important.