Ranch crisis in Mexico: 45,000 cattle killed this year by severe drought and heat

Desdemona Despair

[Translation by Google.]

By Gerardo Sanchez Source
25 June 2016

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico (Televisa News) – The herd of Tabasco is undergoing one of its worst crises in recent years, severe drought and heat are killing animals.

“If you do not have livestock water is consumed, is spent their energies, their body fat and muscle, there are animals that lose up to 35 or 40% of their body weight. 2%, 2.5% of the animals in food deteriorating conditions should fail,” said Baltazar Sánchez Fuentes, secretary of the Livestock Union in Tabasco.

The lack of rain during the month of May and June so far has meant that 12 of the 17 municipalities of the entity reporting a severe drought.

So far this year have died from lack of food and water about 45 thousand cattle.

“Being lacking energy and vitamins, especially in nutrients, causes a decrease in the immune system and animals are expensos any bacterial and viral disease,” said Baltazar Sánchez Fuentes, secretary of the Livestock Union in Tabasco.

By the lack of rain the grass is dry, the cattle lose weight and die.

Another factor affecting cattle are high temperatures, and die when consuming hot water.

“Sometimes they get diarrhea, sometimes they urinate blood, because they drink hot water,” said Felipe Arias, farmer.

Livestock diseases have caused 10 municipalities lose the status of export to the United States.

“You must meet appropriate health status, which in this case would be ‘A’. There is a high prevalence of tuberculosis and brucella. What is all we have the right Chontalpa status ‘A’ for export to the US and the rest of the state are in ‘B’ status does not allow us,” said Baltazar Sánchez Fuentes.

Tabasco was one of the leading producers of beef and milk in the country. Currently there are only one million 878 thousand head of cattle and about 48,000 farmers.

Drought causes cattle crisis in Tabasco