Why it is important to tag cows in Haiti?

For a small farmer in Haiti, his cows might be the most precious good he owns. But they are also prey to many criminals. “There was a big problem with cattle rustling,” says Michel Chancy, former state secretary for animal production in Haiti. Since 2014, the Government of Haiti, with support of the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank, is actively tagging the cattle population in Haiti and populating an online registry with information on the animal, including vaccinations and illnesses, as well as the contact details of the owner and his or her location. Local veterinarians, trained for the purpose, collect the information – and often take the opportunity to perform vaccinations. By improving the traceability of cattle in Haiti, the government can keep track of the whereabouts of the animals and reduce the risk of rustling. But it also helps keeping track on essential data to plan vaccination campaigns or acting upon potential disease outbreak. Find out more about this project in this video!