Critical Veterinary Medicine Shortage Threatens Tunisia's Livestock

Tunisia's Northwest, a major livestock hub, is facing a severe crisis as a critical shortage of basic veterinary medicines threatens hundreds of thousands of animals. The Regional Union of Agriculture and Fisheries (URAP) has denounced the unavailability of essential drugs, including calcium and mastitis treatments, leading to recorded deaths among sheep and goats.

Farmers in the Jendouba governorate have issued an urgent appeal to the Ministry of Agriculture. They report a chronic and total lack of vital medications in local pharmacies. This scarcity prevents emergency treatments during the current heatwave, a period when infectious diseases are already spreading rapidly within herds. Chérifa Belaili, an executive member of URAP Jendouba, described the situation as "unbearable" for farmers, emphasizing that national food sovereignty, reliant on dairy and meat production, depends on access to animal healthcare.

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The URAP deplores the lack of logistical anticipation and the glaring lack of technical support on the ground, failures that worsen the financial distress of local breeders.

Veterinarians warn of irreversible damage to dairy cows from untreated mastitis, leading to permanent loss of udders and productivity. The shortage also affects protective ointments for summer use and injectable calcium solutions. The lack of calcium is particularly dangerous, potentially causing fatal milk fever in dairy cows during calving. Lotfi Jemazi, president of URAP Jendouba, confirmed that anxiety is high due to numerous reported deaths in sheep, goats, and to a lesser extent, cattle. While the regional agricultural development authority has launched an aphthous fever vaccination campaign, the union highlights the ongoing lack of anticipation and technical support, exacerbating farmers' financial distress.

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The absence of calcium during the calving phase triggers fatal milk fevers for dairy cows.