Socio-Economic Impact Evaluation of Bovine Tuberculosis on Primary Meat Production at the Bobo-Dioulasso Slaughterhouse in Burkina Faso

Abstract

Bovine tuberculosis is one of the zoonoses which has a very significant socio-economic importance due to the losses in agribusiness and hampers commercial exchange of animals and products. The present study highlights the risk of considerable potential economic and health impacts of this major zoonosis. It was carried out at the Bobo-Dioulasso slaughterhouse, in Burkina Faso over 3 years. A retrospective study was conducted based on bovine tuberculosis suspected carcass seizures during primary meat production between January 1 st , 2020 and December 31 st , 2022. The diagnosis and the criteria for suspecting bovine tuberculosis were addressed by post-mortem inspection. All carcasses were examined for tuberculosis lesions detection. All cattle slaughtered in the abattoir for primary meat production during the study period were included. Economic losses were determined from recorded seizure data and we included all the cattle slaughtered during the study period. Three thousand two hundred ten (3210) bovine carcasses were seized on a total of 180,827 cattle slaughteredwith a prevalence of 19.48%. Economic loss was estimated to be 53,505,000 F CFA, while the average quantity of animal protein lost was 4746 kg, 435 kg, and 13,445 kg for the carcass, livers, and lungs, respectively. The various results show a real health issue linked to exposure to M. bovis for agents and stakeholders in the primary meat production chain, processors and consumers. In addition, the survey conducted over the study period, reveals important material seized and destroyed. This leads to significant loss in rural agriculture and also in the primary meat production industry for the population. The figures are enormous and impact both the nutritional intake linked to animal protein consumption and the livelihood of the beef industry. The Burkinabe administration should invest in biosecurity and biosafety measures to minimize the risks of the disease and also provide compensation for losses recorded among breeders and butchers.