Many farmers still don’t realise the importance of vaccination

“Many farmers in Africa do not understand the importance of vaccination, especially the up-and-coming farmers,” says Dr. Thembinkosi Ramuthivheli from MSD Animal Health’s Sub-Saharan Business Centre.

“As a result, the vaccination of animals is either poor on non-existent, which increases the risk of infection and disease,” he adds.

Intervet Schering-Plough Animal Health caters for a large variety of livestock

MSD Animal Health caters for a large variety of livestock.

MSD Animal Health, one of the world’s leading animal health companies, supports the farmers of Africa with quality products, available in most countries throughout the continent.

The company is dedicated to the research and development, production and marketing of innovative, high quality animal health products and feed additives. MSD Animal Health has products available for a large variety of livestock, including cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, poultry and ostriches.

Its product portfolio includes vaccines, anti-parasitics, anti-infectives, endocrine products for regulation and improvement of breeding performance, feed additives and productivity enhancers for ruminants, companion animals, pigs and poultry.

Ramuthivheli says that many farmers are also facing challenges in accessing quality medicine for their animals, mostly because of the large distances from their farms to major urban centres. “In some instances where medicines are available, it is usually ‘unregistered’ generics that do more harm to their animals than good.”

Another challenge is the lack of veterinary services. “With increasing privatisation of veterinary services in most African countries, farmers in many instances are left without any professional input, especially in the deep rural areas.” MSD Animal Health’s team is strongly supported by a Veterinary (Technical) Services Department with highly qualified veterinarians, who provide expertise in their respective fields.

The company also gives training to small and medium farmers on animal health and production in conjunction with our country distributors or agents. “We recently held technical days for poultry farmers in Zimbabwe, Mauritius, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana,” notes Ramuthivheli.

In addition, farm personnel receive training on the importance of personal hygiene and bio-security.

MSD Animal Health’s goal is to be entirely service focused and to provide farmers with optimal solutions to all their animal health needs.


Contact Details

For more information on how your business can benefit from MSD Animal Health’s products, please contact Dr. Thembinkosi Ramuthivheli at:

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.msd-animal-health.co.za


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