Ethnoveterinary Medicine: An alternative to antibiotics for the dairy sector

Dr A V Hari Kumar, holds a Masters in Veterinary Science with over three decades of experience in the field. He is currently working in the capacity of Deputy General Manager and Group Head, Animal Health Group at National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), Anand. He has been pivotal in framing the biosecurity protocols and guidelines for semen stations in the country and also in conceptualizing the Information Network on Animal Productivity and Health (INAPH) software. He also specializes in formulating holistic, farmer-centric, cost effective disease control models appropriate to the Indian context which has been presented in various international forums. He has also formulated and is implementing “One Health” models for economically important diseases like brucellosis and mastitis.
He has contributed immensely in developing extension tools to increase awareness on animal health issues and propagation of Ethnoveterinary practices amongst dairy farmers in India.

Anil Kumar Bayati
holds a B Tech in Dairy Technology and has studied management at IRMA. He has been involved with cooperative dairy since the 1990s. He has 32 years of experience working at the grassroots level in the dairy industry, with extensive experience in production, sales, and marketing. He served as the Managing Director of Madhur Dairy in Gandhinagar, Sabar Dairy in Sabarkantha and is currently the General Manager at AmulFed Dairy.

Sabar Dairy is one of the first milk unions to begin treating animals with ethnoveterinary preparations, and they have a unit that manufactures ready-made EVM products for various common dairy ailments, which they sell through their network of dairy cooperative societies. Sabar dairy has a pivotal role in demonstrating the Ethnoveterinary practices in the dairy sector and has shown proven results.

Daniela Battaglia Daniela Battaglia is currently Animal Production Officer in the Animal Production and Health Division of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Within the organization Daniela is responsible, among others, for the activities in support of animal welfare and animal nutrition. Ms. Battaglia holds a M.Sc. in Agricultural Science and another in Tropical Animal Health and Production. Prior to joining the FAO in 2001, Ms. Battaglia worked for nine years for the European Commission, including the Directorate-General Development, Directorate-General External Relations and the Europe-Aid Cooperation Office.

Katrien van't Hooft Katrien van 't Hooft is a veterinarian trained at Utrecht, the Netherlands. During her 12-year fieldwork with various farmers’ organizations and ministries of agriculture in Latin America (Nicaragua and Bolivia) she has learned to combine technical experience in animal production systems with innovative methodological approaches. She has worked with sustainable dairy farmers in the Netherlands, in the Duurzaam Boer Blijven program. Since 2005 Dr Hooft has been one of the coordinators of the ELD international network and facilitator of the ELDev mailing list that links around 400 experts in livestock development throughout the world. At present she is an independent livestock consultant with Dutch Farm Experience she conducts training and tours for international visitors to innovative and sustainable Dutch farm initiatives, providing background info on Dutch Agriculture and relevant lessons for developing countries. She is an author of various publications (including films) and is passionate about strengthening ‘people-centered’ approaches towards sustainable livestock development.

Alfonso Zecconi Alfonso Zecconi is full professor of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases of Domestic Animals, DVM and Co-founder of the One Health Unit within University of Milan. He is also an expert at the Standing Committee Animal Health and Welfare of the International Dairy Federation. Dr Zecconi holds more than 35 years’ experience in dairy milk production and control of pathogens in dairy herds, in epidemiology of antimicrobial resistance in milk chain, in developing protocols to reduce antimicrobial usage in dairy herds, in molecular epidemiology of resistance genes in bacteria isolated from milk and milk products. He is author / co-author of more than 110 peer-reviewed journals; 9 books and manuals, > 150 communications to International and National conferences and meetings, >250 papers in Italian journals, farmers magazines, newsletters and technical reports.

N Punniamurthy N Punniamurthy is former Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS). Since 2002 he had translated a translational research approach to assess, innovate, experiment and integrate only clinically effective Ethnoveterinary herbal remedies (based on traditional siddha principles) against Mastitis, FMD, LSD, a score of other conditions in a stand-alone mode. He has trained thousands of farmers and veterinarians in ethnoveterinary practices. He is an expert trainer of EVM to veterinarians through TDU, NDDB, BAIF, NLF international and GLOHMSIWA. He has taken the knowledge of EVM globally and presented papers in Turkey, South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia, Denmark, Portugal, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Amit Khurana Amit Khurana is Director of the Sustainable Food Systems programme at the Centre for Science and Environment, India. Along with his team, Amit works to push for necessary change in policy and practice on issues related to junk foods and non-communicable diseases; pesticide use and organic and natural farming; and antibiotic use in food production and waste management from farms and factories and their linkages with the growing crisis of antimicrobial resistance. He works for the required change at the national level, and in countries of the global south as well as global policy relevant to such countries.

Rajeshwari Sinha Rajeshwari Sinha is a Programme Manager in the Sustainable Food Systems programme at the Centre for Science and Environment. At CSE, she leads the global and national portfolio of the antimicrobial resistance programme, focusing on the animal and environmental aspects. Her work entails policy advocacy and research on issues around AMR, food systems and sustainable food. She holds a doctoral degree in microbial biochemistry from the Indian Institute of Technology of Delhi, following which she transitioned into working at the science-policy interface in the public health space. She is also an alumna of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.