Abstract:
This questionnaire survey was conducted amongst 200 farmers in the resource-poor, urban and periurban
environments of Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu towns in the Free State Province of South Africa.
The questionnaire was divided into seven sections, namely demography, livestock, cattle, parasites,
parasite control, livestock diseases and problems experienced. A total of 87,5 % of the livestock
owners were not employed (unemployed or pensioner) . Cattle constituted more than 50% of the livestock
units owned in the area and farmers owned an average of 9,33 ± 0,812 head of cattle. A total of
193 (96,5 %) of the farmers indicated that milk was the most important product from their cattle. Only
26 % of them slaughtered their own cattle for meat consumption. Eighty-eight percent of them indicated
that external parasites on their livestock presented a problem, but only 72,9 % of farmers implemented
any tick control measures. Less than half (45 ,5 %) of the farmers who attempted to control
ticks used commercial acaricides. The remainder used various other methods, including the
application of used engine oil and household detergents. Amongst the clinical diseases observed in
their cattle, dry gallsickness was mentioned most often (20%) . This figure, however, is believed to be
inaccurate because dry gallsickness may be a clinical manifestation of some of the other diseases
mentioned by the farmers , such as anaplasmosis, foreign body obstruction of the gastro-intestinal
tract by plastic bags, pneumonia and mastitis. Animal husbandry problems experienced by the farmers
included pollution (i.e. ingestion of plastic bags and string by their livestock) , availability of water
and theft.
