Cattle In Ethiopia Research Articles

Production, reproduction and some adaptation characteristics of Boran cattle breed under changing climate: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Climate change affects livestock production and productivity, which could threaten livestock-based food security in pastoral and agro-pastoral production systems of the tropics and sub-tropics. Boran cattle breed is one of the hardiest Zebu cattle reared by Borana Oromo pastoralists for milk and meat production. However, there is limited comprensive information on production, reproduction and adaption traits of the Boran cattle in Ethiopia. Thus, this paper aims to compile the main production, reproduction and some adaptation traits of Boran cattle based on systematic review and meta-analysis of peer reviewed published and unpublished literature. A combination of systematic review and meta-analysis based on PRISMA guideline was employed. Accordingly, out of 646 recorded articles identified through database searching, 64 were found to be eligible for production, reproduction and adaptation characteristics of the Boran cattle, 28 articles were included in qualitative systematic review while 36 articles were used for quantitative meta-analysis. The Boran cattle breed has the ability to survive, produce and reproduce under high ambient temperature, utilize low quality forage resources, and resist water shortage or long watering intervals and tick infestations. The review revealed that the breed employs various adaptation responses (morphological, physiological, biochemical, metabolic, cellular and molecular responses) to cope with harsh environmental conditions including climate change, rangeland degradation, seasonal feed and water shortages and high incidences of tick infestations. The meta-analysis using a random-effects model allowed provision of pooled estimates of heritability and genetic correlations for reproduction and production traits, which could be used to solve genetic prediction equations under a population level in purebred Boran cattle. In addition, heritability and genetic-correlation estimates found in the present study suggest that there is high genetic variability for most traits in Boran cattle, and that genetic progress is possible for all studied traits in this breed. The Boran cattle breed has the ability to survive, produce and reproduce under high ambient temperature, utilize low quality forage resources, and resist water shortage or long watering intervals and tick infestations. However, currently there are several challenges such as recurrent droughts, pasture deterioration and lack of systematic selection and breeding programs that play to undermine the realization of the potential of the breed. Thus, we recommend systematic selection for enhancing the reproductive and production performances without compromising the adaptation traits of the breed coupled with improved management of rangelands.

Phenotypic and Molecular Characterization of the Capsular Serotypes of Pasteurella multocida Isolated from Pneumonic Cases of Cattle in Ethiopia

Background: Pasteurella multocida is a heterogeneous species and opportunistic pathogen associated with pneumonia in cattle. Losses due to pneumonia and associated expenses are estimated to be higher in Ethiopia with limited information about the distribution of capsular serotypes. Hence, this study was designed to determine the biotypes and capsular serotypes of P. multocida from pneumonic cases of cattle.Methods: A cross-sectional study with a purposive sampling method was employed in 400 cattle from April 2018 to January 2019. Nasopharyngeal swabs and lung tissue samples were collected from clinically suspected pneumonic cases of calves (n = 170) and adult cattle (n = 230). Samples were analyzed using the bacteriological and molecular assay.Result: Bacteriological analysis revealed isolation of 61 (15.25%) P. multocida subspecies multocida. Molecular assay targeting KMT1 gene (~460 bp) confirmed P. multocida species. Capsular typing revealed the presence of serogroup A (hyaD-hyaC) gene (~1044 bp) and serogroup D (dcbF) gene (~657 bp) in 56 (91.80%) and 5 (8.20%) isolates, respectively. Isolation of P. multocida A:3 highlights its prevalence in the study areas. Therefore, the current finding suggests further comprehensive studies on P. multocida capsular types and microbial diversity of respiratory infection in cattle to design an effective control strategy.

Population structure and transmission of Mycobacterium bovis in Ethiopia.

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is endemic in cattle in Ethiopia, a country that hosts the largest national cattle herd in Africa. The intensive dairy sector, most of which is peri-urban, has the highest prevalence of disease. Previous studies in Ethiopia have demonstrated that the main cause is Mycobacterium bovis , which has been investigated using conventional molecular tools including deletion typing, spoligotyping and Mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable number tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR). Here we use whole-genome sequencing to examine the population structure of M. bovis in Ethiopia. A total of 134 M . bovis isolates were sequenced including 128 genomes from 85 mainly dairy cattle and six genomes isolated from humans, originating from 12 study sites across Ethiopia. These genomes provided a good representation of the previously described population structure of M. bovis , based on spoligotyping and demonstrated that the population is dominated by the clonal complexes African 2 (Af2) and European 3 (Eu3). A range of within-host diversity was observed amongst the isolates and evidence was found for both short- and long-distance transmission. Detailed analysis of available genomes from the Eu3 clonal complex combined with previously published genomes revealed two distinct introductions of this clonal complex into Ethiopia between 1950 and 1987, likely from Europe. This work is important to help better understand bTB transmission in cattle in Ethiopia and can potentially inform national strategies for bTB control in Ethiopia and beyond.

Dairy Production System, Constraints and Opportunities in Ethiopia

The literature review was conducted with the aim of compiling dairy cattle production system, main constraints and opportunities in Ethiopia. Based on their locations, there are three milk production systems; namely rural, peri-urban and urban milk production systems. Ethiopia has potential for dairy cattle production. Though Ethiopia has large dairy cattle population and favorable climatic conditions, self-sufficiency in milk production is low. The main constraints that affect milk production capacity of dairy cattle in Ethiopia includes feed shortage in terms of quality and quantity, land shortage for farming of improved forage, insufficient veterinary services, diseases, absence of improved breed, poor artificial insemination service, poor management of animals and lack of market-oriented production. So that, it is very important to introduce improved forage, increase AI utilization efficiency, and improve management practices and veterinary services. The finding of different authors conducted in different parts of the country indicated that the existence of large population of milk cows and diverse dairy animal’s genetic resources, fast growing population, change in living standard and income growth of people, rabid urbanization, growing demand and indigenous knowledge in the preservation of milk and milk products, availability of trained manpower, existence of research institutions and technologies, existence of service providers such as veterinary health and artificial insemination centers, development of infrastructural sector like road access, water supply, communication activities were the key opportunities to dairy production. Generally, even though dairy sector constrained by many factors there are still ample opportunities for dairying. Therefore; coordinated activities must be done by respective bodies to minimize the identified constraints which hamper dairy development. Keywords: Constraints, Dairy cattle, Ethiopia, Production system. DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/11-10-03 Publication date: May 31 st 2021

Challenges and Opportunities of Artificial Insemination on Dairy Cattle in Ethiopia

Artificial insemination is very important for genetic improvement, especially in dairy cattle breeds. It has problems in meeting the needs of some producers, not its opportunities. The objective of this study was the challenge and opportunity of artificial insemination on dairy cattle in the case of Sayo district, west Wollega Zone, Ethiopia. The problem of not using Artificial insemination is not limited to the region, and there are also dairy farmers in our district who have not practiced the service due to various challenges. In addition, most of the Artificial insemination services reported by the dairy industry have failed, rather than bull services. However, although there are few attempts to quantify opportunities, constraints, and why producers do not use artificial insemination services in other regions, researchers have not disclosed well-documented data on the challenges and opportunities of artificial insemination services in the Sayo region. The Result is Artificial insemination has played an important role in increasing milk production in the study area because the crossbreed that got good traits from exotic breeds gave high milk than local breed.

Review of beef cattle breeding research and achievements in Ethiopia

A literature review was conducted based upon 17 research reports on the beef cattle breeding activities in Ethiopia with an objective of summarizing and compiling research findings in different experiments on breeding works of beef cattle in Ethiopia and indicating future research directions.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms of leptin gene in five Ethiopian indigenous cattle breeds and the Korean Hanwoo breed.

Considering the escalating number of scientific reports on the association between the leptin gene and diverse physiological traits and performance of cattle populations, this study was directed towards identifying SNPs in the leptin gene among five indigenous cattle breeds of Ethiopia. DNA samples were extracted from the nasal swabs of the Ethiopian indigenous cattle breeds: Arsi (n = 18), Horro (n = 20), Begait (n = 21), Boran (n = 19), and Fogera (n = 17) and the Korean Hanwoo (a representative taurine breed) (n = 20), followed by PCR amplification of exon 2 and exon 3 regions of the leptin gene and sequence analysis of the PCR products. Five SNPs, two (generating missense mutations) on exon 2 and three (generating silent mutations) on exon 3 regions, were explicated in this study. Allele frequency and genotype frequency distribution pertaining to the SNPs were recorded for the studied cattle breeds besides the minor allele frequency and deviation from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Positive FIS index values were recorded for all the markers except SNP2, illustrative of heterozygote deficiency. MEGA X software-based evolutionary divergence analysis of the phylogenetic tree based on the SNP data revealed that the large-sized breeds, Hanwoo, Begait, Boran, and Fogera, were more closely clustered compared to the small-sized Arsi breed. Among the seven haplotypes documented from the various breeds, sequence analysis was suggestive of haplotypes 1 and 2 to be ancestral haplotypes for the leptin gene. This study is envisaged to accelerate molecular breeding programs for the genetic improvement of the Ethiopian cattle breeds.

Genetic assessment of BoLA-DRB3 polymorphisms by comparing Bangladesh, Ethiopian, and Korean cattle.

Attributable to their major function in pathogen recognition, the use of bovine leukocyte antigens (BoLA) as disease markers in immunological traits in cattle is well established. However, limited report exists on polymorphism of the BoLA gene in zebu cattle breeds by high resolution typing methods. Thus, we used a polymerase chain reaction sequence-based typing (PCR-SBT) method to sequence exon 2 of the BoLA class II DRB3 gene from 100 animals (Boran, n = 13; Sheko, n = 20; Fogera, n = 16; Horro, n = 19), Hanwoo cattle (n = 18) and Bangladesh Red Chittagong zebu (n = 14). Out of the 59 detected alleles, 43 were already deposited under the Immuno Polymorphism Database for major histocompatibility complex (IPD-MHC) while 16 were unique to this study. Assessment of the level of genetic variability at the population and sequence levels with genetic distance in the breeds considered in this study showed that Zebu breeds had a gene diversity score greater than 0.752, nucleotide diversity score greater than 0.152, and mean number of pairwise differences higher than 14, being very comparable to those investigated for other cattle breeds. Regarding neutrality tests analyzed, we investigated that all the breeds except Hanwoo had an excess number of alleles and could be expected from a recent population expansion or genetic hitchhiking. Howbeit, the observed heterozygosity was not significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the expected heterozygosity. The Hardy Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) analysis revealed non-significant excess of heterozygote animals, indicative of plausible over-dominant selection. The pairwise FST values suggested a low genetic variation among all the breeds (FST = 0.056; p < 0.05), besides the rooting from the evolutionary or domestication history of the cattle. No detached clade was observed in the evolutionary divergence study of the BoLA-DRB3 gene, inferred from the phylogenetic tree based on the maximum likelihood model. The investigation herein indicated the clear differences in BoLA-DRB3 gene variability between African and Asian cattle breeds.

Review on Reproductive and Productive Performance of Dairy Cow in Ethiopia

Ethiopia has largest livestock population in Africa. Despite the largest cattle population, its productive and reproductive performance is very low productivity is relationship between inputs and outputs. The information about reproductive and productive performance in Ethiopia is limited for smallholder. Therefore; the objective of this review paper was to highlight the overall aspects of reproductive and productive performance parameters under Ethiopian condition. Reproductive performance is a trait of outstanding importance in dairy cow enterprises. The production of milk depends heavily on reproductive activity. Reproductive performance traits include number of service per-conception (NSC), calving interval (CI) and days open (DO). Productive performance traits include lactation length (LL), lactation yield (LY) and daily milk yield (DMY) are important criteria for profitable dairy farming. In Ethiopia, crossbred dairy cattle mainly are crosses of zebu with Holstein-Friesian and the mean reproductive performance like CI and productive performance like LL were near to the optimum. The mean values of reproductive and productive traits lower in case of indigenous breed than Friesian and their crosses. However, information is limited about the reproductive and productive performance of dairy cows in smallholder, urban and peri-urban dairy farms in the tropics, particularly in Ethiopia. With efficient management of cows, it is possible to improve performance traits. It is concluded that by improving genetic makeup of dairy cow it is possible to improve the reproductive and productive performance of dairy cattle in Ethiopia.

Genotype by Environment interactions for egg number and egg weight of five dual-purpose chicken breeds in different zones of Oromia region in Ethiopia

The African Chicken Genetic Gain (ACGG) project (https://africacgg.net/) aims at backyard poultry optimization by commercial dual-purpose breeds introduction into Africa. To measure benefits, genotype by environment interaction (GxE) analysis provides guidance while predicting environmental effects on production traits of breeds. A survey among Ethiopian poultry smallholders showed egg sale being the most important purpose of keeping village chickens in Oromia. Data was available about laying of 894 ACGG chickens in Oromia. Hence current research questions were: 1) Does GxE take place? 2) Which breed performs best regarding laying and in which environment within Oromia? Traits investigated were egg number and egg weight of five breeds (S-RIR, Sasso, Horro, Kuroiler and Koekoek) located in three zones (East Hararge, East and West Shoa) and 5 districts (Adami Tulu, Bako Tibe, Dano, Dugda and Haromaya) in Oromia. Observations were taken as group measure performing weighted analyses. GxE was only present for egg number with magnitude strongest for zone. S-RIR performed best for both traits in both environments, except Kuroiler performing better in East Shoa for egg number and Koekoek for egg weight. This indicates success of crossbreed S-RIR. Sasso and Horro performed worst supported by previous research for Horro but not Sasso. Low precipitation in East Shoa caused bigger distance in egg number predictions, being higher for S-RIR and lower for Horro and Sasso compared to West Shoa. Apart from these final conclusions, social context of breeding and data collection difficulties should not be forgotten. Just like relevance of other performance trait analyses.

Evaluation of the Modified LIVestock SIMulator for Stall-Fed Dairy Cattle in the Tropics.

Simple SummaryModels can play an important role in identifying and filling knowledge gaps related to sustainable resource use in (sub-)tropical livestock production systems. Yet, most simulation models used to study cattle production systems in the (Sub-)Tropics were developed using data that quantify and characterize biological processes of cattle kept in temperate regions, which may reduce the accuracy of predictions. Therefore, we adopted some published data that quantify and characterize biological processes of cattle kept in (sub-)tropical production systems to modify an existing ruminant livestock herd model. Then, the accuracy of predictions of feed intake and productive performance from the original and modified models were evaluated using meta data from (sub-)tropical stall-fed cattle. The modified model predicted voluntary dry matter intake and productive performance more accurately than the original model. Consequently, adopting relevant data that correctly describe the biological processes in (sub-)tropical cattle production systems is the way forward for improving simulation models for these systems.Ruminant livestock systems in the (Sub-)Tropics differ from those in temperate areas. Yet, simulation models used to study resource use and productive performance in (sub-)tropical cattle production systems were mostly developed using data that quantify and characterize biological processes and their outcomes in cattle kept in temperate regions. Ergo, we selected the LIVestock SIMulator (LIVSIM) model, modified its cattle growth and lactation modules, adjusted the estimation of the animals’ metabolizable energy and protein requirements, and adopted a semi-mechanistic feed intake prediction model developed for (sub-)tropical stall-fed cattle. The original and modified LIVSIM were evaluated using a meta-dataset from stall-fed dairy cattle in Ethiopia, and the mean bias error (MBE), the root mean squared error of prediction (RMSEP), and the relative prediction error (RPE) were used to assess their accuracy. The modified LIVSIM provided more accurate predictions of voluntary dry matter intake, final body weights 140 days postpartum, and daily milk yields than the original LIVSIM, as shown by a lower MBE, RMSEP, and RPE. Therefore, using data that quantify and characterize biological processes from (sub-)tropical cattle production systems in simulation models used in the (Sub-)Tropics can considerably improve their accuracy.

Genetic diversity and population structure of six ethiopian cattle breeds from different geographical regions using high density single nucleotide polymorphisms

The aim of this study was to investigate the genetic diversity and population structure of six Ethiopian cattle breeds. Illumina's Bovine HD BeadChip was used to genotype 76 DNA samples from indigenous cattle breeds, which were named after their regions of origin, namely Benishangul (n = 12), Fogera (n = 11), Gindeberet (n = 19), Gofa (n = 10), Nuer (n = 13), and Sheko (n = 11). Additionally, two comparative European breeds, namely Holstein Friesian (n = 15) and Jersey (n = 15), were included in the analysis as outgroups. The relatively high within breed genetic diversity of the European and the Ethiopian indigenous cattle breeds was clearly evidenced by their allelic richness (1.747–1.879), effective number of alleles (1.437–1.522), observed heterozygosity (0.271–0.313), nucleotide diversity (0.264–0.315), and inbreeding coefficients (−0.025–0.051). Wright's fixation index FST and identity-by-state genetic distance revealed considerable genetic distinctiveness of the Ethiopian indigenous cattle compared to the European breeds. The FST values between Ethiopian cattle breeds were at the low side of the range (less than 0.03). The lowest FST values (0.002) were found between Benishangul, Fogera and Gindeberet, and the highest between Sheko and the other five Ethiopian breeds. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that the Ethiopian indigenous cattle breeds have maintained a high level of within-population genetic differentiation (explaining 97% of the molecular variability), the remainder being accounted for by differentiation among breeds (3%). The geographical distances and the FST values had a moderate positive correlation coefficient (0.283). The inter-breed comparisons and structure analysis clearly revealed that Sheko and Nuer were quite separate from the other indigenous breeds and that Benishangul, Fogera, Gindeberet and Gofa are genetically very closely related breeds. Their genetic closeness could be due to high within breed genetic variability, due to a common ancestor, or because of lack of selection intensity. Our results, particularly for the Benishangul, Gindeberet, Gofa and Nuer breeds, are to our knowledge the first of this kind and could be used as a foundation for further investigations of breed characterization or for the design of conservation strategies.

Review on Dairy Production System, Constraints and Opportunities in Ethiopia

The objective of this paper was aimed to compile dairy cattle production system, main constraints and existing opportunities in Ethiopia. Based on their location the main milk production systems are namely as rural milk production, peri-urban and urban milk productions. Ethiopia has potential for dairy cattle production mainly to the reason of suitable environment and high cattle number that contains 59.5 million cattle populations. Even though Ethiopia has large dairy cattle population and favorable climatic conditions, self-sufficiency in milk production is low. The main constraints that affect milk production capacity of dairy cattle in Ethiopia includes feed shortage in terms of quality and quantity, high feed cost, land shortage and space limitation for farming of improved forage, insufficient veterinary services, diseases, water shortage, lack of market information, absence of improved breed in most parts of the country, poor artificial insemination service, lack of milk processing facilities, poor milk production potentials of local dairy cows, poor management of animals, adulteration, waste disposal, lack of market-oriented production. So, to solve the above-mentioned problems, it is very important to introduce improved forage, increase AI utilization efficiency, and improve the current condition of veterinary services. The finding of different authors conducted in different parts of the country indicated that the existence of large population of milk cows and diverse dairy animal’s genetic resources, fast growing population, change in living standard and income growth of people, rabid urbanization, growing demand and indigenous knowledge in the preservation of milk and milk products, availability of trained manpower, existence of research institutions and technologies, existence of service providers such as veterinary health and artificial insemination centers, development of infrastructural sector like road access, water supply, communication activities were the key opportunities to dairy production. Generally, the review highlighted that even dairy sector constrained by many factors there are still ample opportunities for dairying. Therefore, coordinated activities must be done by respective bodies to minimize the identified constraints which hinder dairy development.

Carcass Weight, Meat Yield and Meat Cuts From Arado, Boran, Barka, Raya Cattle Breeds in Ethiopia

This study was conducted with the objective to evaluate carcass weight, meat yield and primal meat cuts of beef from Arado, Boran, Barka, Raya and nondescript cattle breeds slaughtered at export abattoirs in Ethiopia. Data was collected from Abergelle and Melgawendo export abattoirs in 2011. The result of the study revealed that the average live weight, warm carcass weight, cold carcass weight and warm dressing percentage of cattle slaughtered at the abattoirs studied were 241.41&amp;plusmn;0.37 kg, 106.93&amp;plusmn;0.21 kg, 101.19&amp;plusmn;0.18 kg and 44.21&amp;plusmn;0.05%, respectively. Live weight, carcass weight and dressing percentage were differ (P &amp;lt; 0.001) between abattoirs, seasons and breeds of cattle slaughtered. Average meat yield and yield percentage of cattle slaughtered at Abergelle abattoir was 61.56&amp;plusmn;0.94 kg and 67.81&amp;plusmn;0.33%, respectively. Meat yield and weight of primal meat cuts were different (P &amp;lt; 0.001) between breeds of cattle. Yield percentage was significantly (p &amp;lt; 0.05) different between seasons. Retailed meat yield was significantly predicted (R2 = 88.1%) from slaughter weights, Topside (R2 = 77.86), Silverside (75.64), Knuckle (R2 = 70.13), Striploin (R2 = 70.73), Tenderloin (R2 = 61.33), Shank (R2 = 64.55) and Rumpcap (R2 = 64.48). From the study it was concluded that Boran cattle was better in dressing percentage compared to most cattle breeds in Africa while the dressing percentage and meat yield of Arado, Barka and Raya breeds were less than the percent and yield reported for other zebu cattle in Africa. A strategy should be devised to improve the carcass weight, dressing percentage and retail able meat yield from local cattle in Ethiopia.

Evaluation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis lipoarabinomannan antigen assay and rapid serology blood test for the diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis in Ethiopia

BackgroundBovine tuberculosis (bTB) is prevalent in dairy cattle in Ethiopia. Currently used diagnostic tools such as the single intradermal comparative tuberculin test (SICTT) are time consuming and labor intensive. A rapid, easy-to-use and cost-effective diagnostic test would greatly contribute to the control of bTB in developing countries like Ethiopia. In the present study, two point-of-care diagnostic tests were evaluated for the detection of bTB: LIONEX® Animal TB Rapid test, a membrane-based test for the detection of antibodies to Mycobacterium bovis in blood and ALERE® Determine TB Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) Ag, an immunoassay for the detection of lipoarabinomannan (LAM) antigen (Ag) of mycobacteria in urine. A combination of the SICTT and gamma interferon (IFN-γ) test was used as the gold standard for the validation of these point-of-care tests, as it was not feasible to slaughter the study animals to carry out the historical gold standard of mycobacterial culture. A total of 175 heads of cattle having three different bTB infection categories (positive SICTT, negative SICTT, and unknown SICTT status) were used for this study.ResultThe sensitivity and specificity of TB LAM Ag were 72.2% (95% CI = 62.2, 80.4) and 98.8% (95% CI = 93.6, 99.7), respectively, while the sensitivity and specificity of the LIONEX Animal TB rapid test assay were 54% (95% CI = 44.1 64.3) and 98.8% (95% CI = 93.6, 99.7) respectively. The agreement between TB LAM Ag and SICTT was higher (κ = 0.85; 95% CI = 0.65–0.94) than between TB LAM Ag and IFN-γ (κ = 0.67; 95% CI = 0.52–0.81). The agreement between LIONEX Animals TB Rapid blood test and SICTT was substantial, (κ = 0.63; 95% CI = 0.49–0.77) while the agreement between LIONEX Animal TB rapid blood test and IFN-γ test was moderate (κ = 0.53; 95% CI = 0.40–0.67). Analysis of receiver operating curve (ROC) indicated that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) for TB LAM Ag was 0.85 (95% CI = 0.79–0.91) while it was 0.76 (95% CI; =0.69–0.83) for LIONEX Animal TB rapid test assay.ConclusionThis study showed that TB LAM Ag had a better diagnostic performance and could potentially be used as ancillary either to SICTT or IFN-γ test for diagnosis of bTB.

Prevalence of Dairy Cattle Fasciolosis in and around Wolayta Sodo, Southern Ethiopia

Fasciolosis is an economically important parasitic disease of cattle in Ethiopia. The goal of the study was to determine the prevalence of fasciolosis in dairy cattle. A cross sectional study was carried out from January, 2019 to May, 2019 in Wolayta Sodo, Southern Ethiopia.

Review Work on Productive and Reproductive Performance of Crossbreed Dairy Cattle in Ethiopia

Ethiopia enowed with alarge livestock population in africa as well as in the world. Dairy farming is one of the world wide practiced farming including Ethiopia. The main aim of this review is to know the overall preformance (both productive and reproductive) of crossbred dairy cattle in Ethiopia. According to inputs, agro-ecology, intensity of production dairy farming is catagoized as low land pastoralism, high land smallholder, urban and peri-urban small scale dairy farm and intensive (specialised comercial) dairy farming systems. The feed resourse for low land pastoralism and highland small holders is mostly natural pastures and crop by products. However, for urban and peri-urban small scale and intensive farms is purchased hay, green legum and other concentrats. Ethiopia has divrrsified dairy cattle breeds and the cross breeds have different production performance. Those differences in performance with in and between breeds could be due to management activity. There are also constraints that can influence the performance of dairy cattle like shortage of feed, poor genetic performance and poor management systems. The existing opportunities to improve thire performance includes the presence of diversified breeds as well as introducing of artificial insemination service technology. Besides these, the productive and reoroductive performance can be improve through good management. Therefore, good forage development strategy and good breeding strategies must be under taken by the government as well as other concerned bodies. Keywords : Productive, Reproductive, Preformanec, Dairy Cattle, Management DOI : 10.7176/JBAH/9-6-04 Publication date :March 31 st 2019

English

The review aims to examine dairy cattle production system together with pastoral and agro- pastoral, small holder, peri urban and urban intensive dairy cattle production system, breeding practice including mating system (natural mating and Artificial Insemination), breeding objectives, reproductive and productive traits of dairy cattle in Ethiopia. In Ethiopia most farmers use natural, unplanned and uncontrolled mating system by using breeding from communal grazing and a few farmer use AI for improvement of breed and production by upgrading the genetic makeup of indigenous breed of cattle. Hence in Ethiopia, using breeding objectives in line with the effective breeding policies for both natural service and AI for sustainable and effective animal breeding practice is needed. Stakeholders, animal breeders and policy designers are to pay attention in transforming the already existing traditional breeding practices that target the productivity of dairy cattle with cautious consideration of genetic conservation of local cattle breeds. Key words: Breeding objective, breeding practice, dairy cattle, Ethiopia.

Effect of Age and Breeds of Cattle on Carcass and Meat Characteristics of Arsi, Boran, and Harar Cattle in Ethiopia

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of age and breed of cattle on carcass and meat characteristics in Ethiopia. A total of 39 (Arsi 11, Boran 14 and Harar 14) cattle breeds with age categories of <3, 4 - 6, and 7 - 9 years were used for the study. The bulls were purchased from their respective production system of mixed crop livestock system (Arsi and Harar) and Ranch (Boran). Parameters such as live and carcass weight, meat yield percent, fat characteristics, and primal beef cuts were evaluated. Complete randomized design was used for the study. The live weight of bulls at <3, 4 - 6 and 7 - 9 years ranged 135 - 183, 167 - 181, and 155 - 433 kg, respectively. The carcass weight, dressing percentage, meat yield percent, forequarter, hindquarter, rib eye area, and fat thickness ranged 57 - 209.73 kg, 41.8% - 51.6%, 32% - 58%, 11.7 - 56.42 kg, 14.04 - 45.34 kg, 4.78 - 10.25 square inches and 0.18 - 0.38 inches, respectively. At an early age category (<3 years) meat yield percentage of Arsi, Boran and Harar breeds were 50.86, 30 and 18.72, respectively, and as age category shifted from one age category to the next Harar increased by 13× and Boran by 2.9× and Arsi decreased by -0.93×. The mean rib percentage of Arsi, Boran and Harar were in the range of 7.98 - 9.57, 8.62 - 10.44 and 7.08 - 8.83, respectively. Breed and age of bulls had significantly affected primal meat cuts. Meat yield was predicted from live and hot carcass weight with coefficient determination (R2) of 70.66% and 74.75%, respectively. From the study, it was concluded that age and breeds of cattle had significantly influence on carcass and meat characteristics. Therefore, to determine whether variations were due to genetic or environmental cause’s evaluation of the three breeds under similar feeding condition was recommended.

English

Ethiopia has the largest livestock population in Africa, making a considerable contribution to the livelihood of Ethiopian people and to the wider economy. However, zoonotic diseases threaten the performance and potential benefits of this vast livestock sector. Emerging zoonotic diseases, such as bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis and anthrax that have acquired global significance seriously affect the livestock sector in the country. A number of policies and regulations have been designed in order to prevent and control the transmission of animal and zoonotic diseases in Ethiopia. This paper documents the key policy provisions and institutions involved in these initiatives and identifies entry points for the design of specific implementable strategies for the control of bovine tuberculosis (bTB): a disease that is endemic among cattle in Ethiopia and particularly highly prevalent in its dairy sector. The analysis of this study is based on a review of existing documentation carried out in 2017. The results indicate: (i) the existence of various policy provisions for disease prevention and control but with limited recognition of different disease transmission pathways including ‘animal to animal’, ‘animal to human’, and ‘human to animal; (ii) that these policies and regulations only provide a general framework without specifying the interventions related to specific disease types such as bTB; (iii) that different institutions are given similar tasks and that there is no strong coordination mechanism among the institutions in terms of fulfilling these tasks and avoiding the duplication of effort; and (iv) that more attention has been given to policies on human health, especially relating to selected priority diseases. These trends imply the need to design and implement strategic interventions in the prevention and control of bTB transmission both within the animal population and from the animal to the human population. Key words: Bovine tuberculosis, Ethiopia, policy, zoonoses.