Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today called for a unified approach by the medical and veterinary fraternities to focus on restricting transmission of diseases from animals to human beings.
"Ensuring rearing of disease free and healthy livestock and studying the effects of antibiotics on animals would help in a bigger way to check the transmission of diseases.
"Sheep and animal products have become part of human DNA nowadays and there is urgent need to look this aspect seriously and make certain that livestock population is healthy and fit for human consumption," Omar said.
The Chief Minister was addressing a two-day conference on "CVE Microbiology/ Endocrinology update" organised by state Veterinary Doctors Association in collaboration with Department of Animal Husbandry at SKICC.
Omar said the role of veterinary faculty is of vital importance to address the issue of infestation travelling from animals to humans.
"You cannot shy away from the importance of this aspect as also the fact of diseases travelling from animals to human," he said stressing on the need to think on these issues and come up with suggestions to address these in a befitting manner.
Omar described animal rearing as the most important economic activity in the state, saying the huge chunk of population in Jammu and Kashmir derives livelihood and sustenance from this sector by way of producing poultry and other products.
He said veterinary doctors and other staff associated with sheep and animal rearing have vital role and responsibility in strengthening and upgrading this sector by ensuring health care coverage of the livestock population in the state.
The Chief Minister said his government has approved launch of mobile veterinary centres on the pattern of mobile schools in the State.
"It is easy to visit the ailing animal at its place than to carry it to the Veterinary Centre," he said, adding the Mobile Veterinary Centres would be well equipped with all required facilities to cater to the needs of livestock population especially in far flung and remote areas.
"This would enable animal rearers' to get medical treatment of the livestock at their doorsteps," he said.
Omar said animal rearing is the only sector which could generate sufficient raw material locally and possesses ready-made market.
"Presently we are importing mutton, milk, eggs and other animal products from other states in huge quantity when we can ourselves produce these in abundance. The need is to focus on this area to reduce the dependence on outside markets," he said.
