This dire situation, they said, is the result of some farmers fencing some natural lakes to prevent cattle from drinking and grazing within those lakes and lands.
URR records the largest population of cattle in the country according to the National Livestock Census held in 2016.
Cattle owners in the region and farmers recently held a convergence at Sare Gubu village in the Sandu District of URR with the objective of discussing some of the issues affecting them.
The day-long meeting, organised by the Sare Gubu Youth Development Association (SGYDA), was also attended by cattle farmers in Cassamance, in the southern part of Senegal.
The main issues making it difficult for thousands of cattle to access the lakes, according to the outcome of the meeting, include lack of enough cattle drinking points in the region, farmers cultivating at cattle grazing and drinking points, and lack of enough veterinarians.
The meeting participants said if the situation is not addressed, many cattle in URR would migrate to Cassamance in search of drinking points and land for grazing.
Speaking at the meeting, Jamurou Bah underscored the significance of the forum, saying: “Such kind of initiatives should have been organised long ago as cattle owners in the region continue to encounter a lot of difficulties. In fact, our challenges are not only limited to lack of enough drinking and grazing areas; they also have to do with people burning the bush. Therefore, we also want the forest officials and the community of the area to help in preservation of our forest cover.”
He also said: “We have to do away with the culture of ‘Maslaha’ in protecting our forest cover. At some points, we know the people that are destroying our forest, but we never report them to the relevant authorities.”
Adding that the authorities in the region are aware of the matter, Bah claimed: “There are some lakes in the area which have been deliberately fenced by some crop farmers. Our cattle have been drinking these lakes since the first republic. To our dismay, some people within the area decided to fence these lakes in order to prevent the cattle from drinking.”
As a result of the fencing, he went on, their cattle migrate to other parts of the country or Cassamance during the dry season. “In the rainy season we encounter the same difficulties,” he lamented. “We are therefore calling on the government to immediately address this matter.”
He also called on the government to deploy more trained veterinarians within the area.
For his part, Bara Sabally, a cattle owner in Wulli, calls for unity between farmers and cattle owners with the desire of addressing some of their misunderstandings and differences.
The forum, he went on, would enable them to chart the way forward and come out with suggestions that would address their problems, saying: “It’s very difficult to see a well dug by the government purposely for cattle drinking. We also want the government to address the issues of farmers fencing some lakes in barring cattle from accessing the lakes.”
Ebrima Jallow, president of the National Livestock Owners Association, described the forum as timely, saying they are working closely with the government to increase animal production.
He however acknowledged that the area lacks enough cattle drinking points, saying: “We will organise such a forum in Basse where cattle owners in the region will gather to discuss the issues affecting them. We will also work with the government in ensuring that the issue of the lakes that have been fenced in order to prevent cattle from drinking is addressed.”
Muhammed Suna Bah, a cattle owner in the region, said: “The government should ensure that we have grazing places for our cattle. Again, fencing lakes in order to bar cattle from drinking shouldn’t be entertained. Also, farmers always capture our cattle with the intent of taking money from us, but not because our cattle destroy their farms. I believe these are the things that the government should look into in order to avoid problems.”
Kebba Bah, the vice president of Filifing Kaffoo, from Senegal, and Yerro Bah, the Alkalo of Sare Gubu, also spoke at the forum.
