%0 Journal Article
%T Tick control by small-scale cattle farmers in the central Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
%A P.J. Masika
%A A. Sonandi
%A W. Van Averbeke
%J Journal of the South African Veterinary Association
%D 2012
%I AOSIS OpenJournals
%R 10.4102/jsava.v68i2.868
%X A survey conducted in 5 magisterial districts involving rapid rural appraisal and a questionnaire showed participation in state-managed and funded dipping programmes by cattle owners in communal areas of the central Eastern Cape to be nearly complete, with 98 % of livestock owners interviewed participating in all dipping events. Disease control was the main reason for participation, but farmers perceive dipping to have a much broader disease-preventing activity than is really the case. Other reasons for participation in dipping programmes were to prevent ticks from sucking blood, provide animals with a clean appearance, and prevent damage to teats of cows. Many livestock owners complement dipping with other tick control measures, including old motor oil, household disinfectant, pour-on acaricide and manual removal of ticks. Recently local farming communities were given the responsibility of buying dipping acaricide. This has presented them with the challenge of developing farmer-managed, cost-effective tick control programmes. At present, this process is constrained by lack of information and farmer training.
%K Cattle
%K Central Eastern Cape Province
%K Communal Farmers
%K Dipping
%K Tick Control
%U http://jsava.co.za/index.php/jsava/article/view/868