Bucaramanga, November 10^th 2009. Colombian Agriculture Institute and Livestock, ICA, proposed Departmental authorities of Santander to initiate epidemiological studies in some municipalities of the Department to declare them free of brucellosis and in this way to replicate the work done in García Rovira that was recently certified as the first zone of the country free of this disease.

 

“The correspondent studies would be done Yariguies province, with Zapatoca, Betulia, Galán, El Hato Palmar, Alto Simacota, Chima, Contratación and Guacamayo towns, with a livestock population of about 54.000 animals”, confirmed Luis Fernando Caicedo Lince, general manager of ICA.

 

The high ranked official added that other regions in the same process would be Onzamo, (Onzaga, San Joaquín, Mogotes) since in spite having low animal population, it allows to widen García Rovira zone, considering their closeness with North and Gutierrez Province from Norte y Gutierrez in Boyacá, currently in the process of certification as free of brucellosis.

 

“To advance in the declaration of zones free of brucellosis in the country is a purpose that ICA has not only to acquire a higher sanitary status, but also to benefit Colombian cattle farmers, who when decreasing the number of infected animals by this disease, they also reduce the costs by losses”, added ICA manager.

 

In the case of Santander, the municipalities where epidemiological studies start for brucellosis have a bovine population of about 71 thousand animals.

 

ICA currently has a pilot model to decrease the incidence of brucellosis in Sabana de Torres town, where the industry has been involved subsidizing the cost of RB 51 vaccine for the different processes to reinforce immunity in livestock.

 

In this way ICA has certified 239 farms as free of brucellosis in this zone of the country, which have fulfilled with requirements demanded, like calf vaccination between 3 and 8 months of age in the established cycles and with negative serological tests of certified bovines.

 

 

A percentage of 96.4 of animal immunization against foot and mouth got Santander Department, in the first vaccination cycle of this year. From a cattle population of 1.493.822 bovines, 1.440.073 were vaccinated against this disease.

 

The municipalities with higher vaccine coverage of 97% were Barrancabermeja, Cimitarra, Charala, Puerto Parra, Rionegro and Simacota.

 

ICA manager called Santander cattle farmers of Santander to continue engaged with livestock health of the country, by animal immunization against foot and mouth in the second cycle of vaccination that started November 3^rd and will go on until December 17^th.

 

Luis Fernando Caicedo Lince reminded the Department poultry farmers that December 31^st is the deadline for poultry farms to implement biosafety measures established by the Institute.

 

In Santander, ICA has 1.041 farms registered, from which 140 have been certified as biosafe, and other 488 are in the process of certification.

 

“ICA will only certify those farms that adequately adopt biosafety measures to commercialize their products in national and international markets, who will also demand poultry products coming from biosafe farms”, added ICA manager.

 

From the registered farms, 138 are located in Mesa de los Santos zone, which has been selected to decrease prevalence of Newcastle. From the certified farms, 65 are also part of this zone.

 

 

 

The health of crops in Santander has been a priority for ICA, so the Institute continues developing phytosanitary campaigns directed to over three thousand producers of the department. Together with associations and other institutions of the sector, technological packages have been developed to combat diseases as bulb rot in Palm, moniliasis in cacao, coffee core borer and crazy ant in molasses sugarcane.

 

Fulfilling ICA regulations have allowed Santander to have 117 fruit plots, which add up to 694 hectares, registered to export acid lemon Tahití, gulupa, banana bocadillo, granadilla, pitahaya, yellow tree tomato, pineapple Gold M. These generate a big part of positions in the rural sector of the Department.

 

ICA with the private sector and growers will continue as strategic partner of Colombian agrobussines, supporting producers and exporters efforts consolidating phytosanitary policies of the country.