The director of the Institute of Reproduction at the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture, Mostafa Fadel, told Sky News Arabia that climatic changes are among the most important influences on livestock, especially cows and buffaloes. Fetuses in animals at early ages do not exceed 3 months, and abortion rates also increase as a result of heat stress.
Fadel added that “animals born in the period of extreme heat are weak, have zero immunity and are of low weight, and thus death rates increase immediately after birth.”
He explained that “as a result of climatic changes, it has become very cold in the winter, as the situation turns from extreme heat to severe cold suddenly and without preparation, and severe cold directly affects the birth of animals, especially in buffalo more than cows.”
Half of the wealth is threatened
He added that the death rate in animal births before was not more than 3 percent, but “as a result of climate changes, it has reached 40 percent, meaning that climate changes waste nearly half of the livestock.”
He stressed that “to confront this and preserve livestock, it is necessary to protect them from extreme cold or extreme heat and to provide them with concentrated feed with feeding (for young animals that must be protected from air currents until they are at least 3 months old).”
He pointed out that the extreme heat also weakens milk production, as the rate of eating in heat in animals decreases due to the extreme heat, and it also results in a lack of meat in fattening animals.
Awareness campaigns
Fadel added that “Egypt, represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Institute of Fertility, monitors climate changes and implements awareness campaigns for livestock breeders, where they are directed to the necessity of heating animals and isolating them from direct air currents in winter, and placing them in a closed place at night and sunny during the day.”
The official added, “During the summer heat, the most important problem is the lack of fertility, and it is treated through hormonal adjustments and certain medications. The Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture also relies on modern techniques in artificial insemination and embryo transfer to ensure its life and preserve livestock.”
He pointed out that the most important consequences of climate changes are that the heat period has become much longer than before and the temperature in it is very high, and on the contrary, the winter period has become short but very cold, so awareness programs and plans are implemented to protect against the resulting diseases, which did not exist. before climate change.
He explained that “as a result of the length of the summer period, for example, the insects that transmit epidemics or diseases to animals increased, or at least the period of activity of these insects increased, and all of this negatively affects livestock.”
Egypt, which is hosting the COP27 climate conference, announced that it is taking comprehensive measures to shift towards a green economy in various fields, to confront climate changes and reduce carbon emissions.
During the summit, the Egyptian Minister of Agriculture, Mr. El-Qusair, stressed that climate change represents an existential threat to many countries and societies, and that the Ministry of Agriculture is working to confront modern diseases that affect animals and plants as a result of climate change, in order to preserve food security and achieve environmental balance.
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