Livestock contributes to the livelihoods of an estimated 70 percent of the world’s rural poor. It is the principal source of livelihood for about 120 million pastoralists worldwide (ILRI, 2002). For over 200 million small holder farmers in Asia, Africa and Latin America, livestock, such as cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, and poultry represents the main source of income (FAO, 2006).

Livestock is an integral part of rural social, economic and environmental systems and provides income, food, fiber, draft power, manure, savings, insurance and social status for most of the world’s rural poor.

Although lower income rural households receive smaller absolute gains from the livestock value chain than higher income groups, the relative benefits to them are greater. There is a two-way link among livestock growth and labour income. Several research studies prove that livestock farming is a primary income source for households above certain asset threshold. Livestock contribute directly not only to farms income but also to increasing employment opportunities for the most vulnerable rural population. Livestock promotion has also second-round indirect effect for rural incomes and employment: growth of income from livestock creates increasing demand for local highly labour intensive activities in non-tradable sector as for example, livestock services, food processing, equipment and transport repairs retailing, and many others.

Conversely, increasing rural off-farm employment is the second primary channel after farm activities for improving household’s income and provides an opportunity for a number of poor households to increase investments in livestock production. Cash income is extremely important for expansion of livestock production allowing better access to services and market infrastructure.

As is common throughout agriculture, the livestock sub-sector presents a number of occupational safety and health hazards. Animals can carry diseases that are either directly transmittable to humans (zoonosis) such as the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) or have an ability to “jump species” and affect humans. Diseases decimate animals and wealth: recent infections of HPAI led to the slaughter of more than 140 million poultry birds in South East Asia alone. Highly contagious, trans-boundary animal diseases, such as African Swine Fever can also be spread through human and animal movements. The scale of outbreaks among livestock and humans is escalating due to shifting climate patterns and seasonal changes.

Poultry production is an essential economic activity for the rural poor. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) constitutes a serious threat to poor rural smallholder poultry producers, both directly through mortality, but probably even more so indirectly through the rigorous disease control measures applied by animal health authorities. These measures may be prohibitively expensive for resource-poor smallholder producers and thus could force them to abandon poultry keeping altogether, depriving them of small but valuable amounts of protein in their diets, much needed petty cash income, and, most importantly, an investment opportunity for escaping poverty.  

Avian influenza

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 is an emerging disease of animal origin. Its social and economic impacts result from animal and human health concerns and measures, loss of livelihoods and structural change. The latter includes losses in rural jobs derived by the restructuring of the poultry sector. Backyard producers in many developing countries are losing income and are facing increased livelihood and food security risks, birds are culled and prices drop, thus employees on poultry farms are losing their jobs.

Since early 2004, when several Asian countries almost simultaneously reported outbreaks of Avian Influenza, the poultry sector has suffered tremendous losses valued at up to USD 10 billion, due to the killing of infected livestock worldwide: around 200 million chickens have been culled or have died of the disease since the onset of the crisis in late 2003. Many countries have experienced a sharp decline in local demand for poultry, which translated in job cuts in the poultry sector, thus battering vulnerable livelihoods. In addition to these losses, the threat of a pandemic further weakens already delicate structures of trade and livelihoods of backyard poultry farmers.

International agencies such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) are working together in a Global Early Warning (and Response) System, based at FAO headquarters in Rome, for transboundary animal diseases and emerging zoonoses.

FAO, OIE and WHO have released several sets of guidelines and action plans for national governments. Many of the proposed measures include major changes to poultry farming practices and reorganization of the industry, which will have a significant effect on agricultural workers and poultry processing workers. At the same time, few of these action plans seriously address the interests and well-being of processing workers or agricultural workers employed in poultry farming.

With regard to preventive action, issues of workers’ rights and occupational safety and health are particularly relevant to FAO. The ILO has established regulatory frameworks and has gained valuable experience which will prove useful in developing practices for effective prevention and control of Avian Influenza.

Contacts:

FAO Focal Point: Anni McLeod, AGAL (Anni.McLeod@fao.org)

ILO Focal Point for Avian Influenza: Donato Kiniger Passigli, CRISIS (kiniger@ilo.org)