The Ministry of Agriculture stated that there is no preparation as of now to compensate livestock farmers for the cattle and goats that died in the Northern and Eastern (N-E) provinces in the last few days due to the inclement weather conditions.

When contacted by The Morning, Agriculture Ministry Media Secretary Dharma Wanninayake said: “Generally, animals like cattle and goats die due to various reasons. Similarly, cattle and goats have died due to such inclement weather conditions, and there is currently no arrangement to compensate the farmers for them. Even earlier, a large number of animals died due to weather conditions, but no compensation was given to the farmers.”

With the cold weather conditions that prevailed in the Northern and Eastern Provinces during the past few days, a large number of cattle and goats were found to have died. Many such deaths were reported in the Districts of Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, and Vavuniya in the Northern Province, and in many areas belonging to the Eastern Province. The samples of all the dead animals had been referred for the relevant laboratory testing. 

As of 12 noon on Monday (12), the number of dead cattle and goats in those provinces had increased to 1,650. Among the dead animals were 691 cattle and 296 goats in the Northern Province, and 555 cattle and 108 goats in the Eastern Province. In addition to the dead animals, 182 cattle and 147 goats in the Northern Province, and 16 cattle in the Eastern Province had been identified as being unwell. Meanwhile, investigations conducted by the Department of Animal Production and Health had, in a report handed over to Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera, confirmed that the cause of over 1,600 deaths of cattle and goats was not due to an epidemic, but the shock caused by extreme cold weather conditions.