The Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Haryana on April 18, 2024, issued a notification regarding Advisory for Livestock on event of Heat Wave Situation.
Asserting that animals with high metabolic rates (high milk yielders) and low sweaters (pig, dogs) are more susceptible to heatwaves, the Ministry of Fisheries Animal Husbandry & Dairying has issued an advisory to all states and union territories directing the animal husbandry department (AHD) to maintain close coordination with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to relay information to local veterinary hospitals and dispensaries for proactive preparedness and response.
The advisory issued by the animal husbandry commissioner Abhijit Mitra, has categorised heat stress severity for livestock into three levels including livestock alert, when the temperature is between 23.9 to 25.6 degrees Celsius; livestock danger (26.1 to 28.3 degrees Celsius) and livestock emergency (over 28.9 degrees Celsius).
Various mathematical formulas have been developed by researchers and research institutes to assess the severity of heat stress in livestock. These formulas typically assign a score on a 100-point scale, which is then compared using a standard Temperature Humidity Index (THI) chart.
[Notification No.14353]
