Impact of Lumpy Skin Disease Outbreak on Beef Cattle Farmers in Khon Kaen Province Lumpy Skin Disease in Khon Kaen Province

Abstract

      This study aimed to investigate the socio-economic status, beef cattle raising conditions, and the impact of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) on beef cattle farmers in Khon Kaen Province. The population in this research consisted of 50,191 beef cattle farmers in Khon Kaen Province in 2022. The sample size was calculated using Yamane's formula with a margin of error of 0.06, resulting in a sample size of 277 farmers. A multi-stage sampling was employed. The research instrument was an interview form. The research findings revealed that most farmers were female (57.8%), with an average age of 56.9 years. The average labor force for raising beef cattle was 2.1 people, and farmers had an average of 15.2 years of experience in cattle farming. Most farmers (79.1%) had not received training on preventing and controlling Lumpy Skin Disease. The average number of beef cattle per household was 6.94, with most farmers raising local breed cattle (71.5%). Regarding farm management, farmers typically built cattle pens outside community areas (65.3%), had fences to control people and livestock entering and exiting the farm (96.4%). Still, most did not have quarantine pens for new cattle (85.6%) or animal restraint facilities or isolation pens (90.3%). Most farmers (88.4%) used lights or bonfires to repel insects, but many (54.2%) did not use mosquito nets for cattle in pens, and almost all (98.6%) did not keep cattle records. In 2022, most farmers (92.4%) regularly vaccinated their cattle, with Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccines being the most commonly used (91.4%), followed by Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) vaccines (87.4%). Despite these efforts, 83.4% of farms experienced LSD outbreaks. The disease led to cattle deaths among 62.0% of farmers, with an overall morbidity rate of 25.1% and a mortality rate of 2.5%. Breeding cows had the highest morbidity rate (46.9%), while female calves exhibited the highest mortality rate (32.7%). On average, farmers spent 2,390.74 baht per person on treating sick cattle and lost an average income of 62,806.45 baht per person due to cattle deaths.