Providing Feed to Livestock During Emergencies

Abstract

This chapter is intended to help animal nutritionists, food handlers, and other animal welfare experts intervene in disasters caused by natural phenomena and man-made events like conflicts. Concepts introduced include early warning, response, and recovery, as well as methods of collecting data and references to helpful institutional handbooks. Partnerships between humanitarian relief agencies are also proposed in order to take advantage of comparative strengths, especially for logistical support to transport feed and fodder. In addition, changes in international law and practice are proposed in order to make nutritional and animal health interventions easier to provide. It should also be seen as complementing, not replacing, the valuable Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS livestock emergency guidelines and standards. Practical Action Publishing, 2009).

Annex: Definitions

Armed Non-state Actors

There is no single, universally accepted definition. Some describe them as ‘terrorists’ or ‘bandits’ while the groups often self-describe as ‘freedom fighters’, ‘liberation movements’, or tribal warriors trying to right a perceived wrong. The point is that the groups use armed means to achieve their goals and do not operate within formal State structures (Decrey-Warner, pers. comm. 2012). The importance to veterinarians and animal welfare NGOs is that while national military forces or even uniformed rebels might follow predictable rules of behaviour, this phenomena is less likely with ANSAs unless separate bilateral agreements are reached, such as are being developed by the Switzerland-based NGO Geneva Call.

One working definition for an ANSA could be

‘any armed group, distinct from and not operating under the control of, the state or states in which it carries out military operations and which has political, religious, and/or military objectives. See also: Committee on Armed Services, “Inquiry into the role and oversight of private security contractors in Afghanistan”, Report together with additional views, US Senate, 28 September 2010’.

Disaster

A disaster is a hazard that overwhelms or nearly so the capacity of a social unit to respond, whether city, province, or nation. A natural disaster occurs when caused by natural phenomena (i.e. a hurricane or storm surge, earthquake, etc.). A man-made disaster occurs when caused by human being (i.e. wars, conflicts, bushfires, etc.). It is important to note that a hazard is not a disaster unless it causes overwhelming damage to humans. For example, a hurricane or cyclone might indeed bring nourishing water to animals during a drought (Roeder 2013). Another way to understand this is to think of a hurricane, storm surge, tornado, drought, flood, earthquake, a tsunami, etc., not as a disaster, but only as natural phenomena. In certain circumstances, those phenomena can cause great, overwhelming damage; then the event (not the hurricane for example) is a disaster. Most of the time, they cause little or no damage and thus should be thought of as simply ‘hazards’. Similarly, while a full-fledged war might cause a disaster, lower levels of conflict could be damaging events that can be coped with, not true disasters.

Consider if a hurricane marches up a coast that is suffering from drought or forest fires. Bands of moisture propelled by cyclonic winds can reduce the fire or lay down moisture useful to pastoralists and farmers. In that instance, while the hurricane’s force would have be a hazard, the rain event might only be beneficial, not a disaster.

If the same hurricane crossed over land and hit structures that are weak, such as the shanty towns around Johannesburg, then the event might be a disaster, certainly for the inhabitants if they didn’t get enough early warning.⁷ The same hurricane when set against stronger structures with more disaster management infrastructure, as in Miami, Florida, might not be a disaster at all. The hurricane might cause damage, but damage easily taken care of by municipal authorities. Lots of those happen, whereas Katrina in 2005 caused massive damage and was a disaster in New Orleans.

The lesson for animals, as it is for people, is risk management. We need to provide pastoralist farmers with more early warning appropriate to the species they care for. If money allows, we might also want to see stronger protective structures, designated evacuation routes, and trucks to haul small animals like sheep to safe, feeding locations, as is done in Cuba, perhaps pre-positioning of supplies, if time and money allows.

Public Diplomacy

The definition of Public Diplomacy in this book was developed by Michael W. McClellan, Diplomat in Residence, the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Michigan:

‘The strategic planning and execution of informational programs by an NGO to create a public opinion environment in a target country or countries that will enable target country political leaders to be comfortable with changing their political paradigm and thus make decisions that are supportive of animal welfare objectives’. (McClellan, pers. com. 2004)

This is distinct from lobbying government officials, especially legislatures directly to change laws, or traditional diplomatic initiatives with governments to gain permission to cross a border, or to negotiate with governmental representatives at the UN to change international law.

Rapid Needs Assessment

This is an examination of an emergency in order to:

• craft a rapid assessment of damages, nutritional needs, and other issues, using on-the-ground resources and remotely sensed data;

• identify life safety issues for both animal and people;

• identify imminent hazards to animals;

• identify sources of food and water;

• identify potential evacuation routes and shelters;

• identify communication sources and problems;

• identify potential sources of veterinary assistance;

• determine the scope of damage;

• identify needs for external logistical support, such as airlifting feed pellets;

• identify legal and political hurdles to assistance; and

• prioritize response activities

The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response

The Sphere Project is a voluntary initiative of humanitarian agencies including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and major international NGOs which wish to improve the quality of humanitarian assistance and its accountability. Often used with institutional field handbooks, the Sphere Handbook is a standard text for all relief agencies (Sphere Project 2011).

Livestock Emergency Guidelines and Standards (LEGS)

This is a crucial piece of literature for any organization wishing to engage in emergency work with livestock. The book contains international guidelines and standards for the design, implementation, and assessment of livestock interventions and mirrors SPHERE’s effort for humanitarian intervention. Indeed, some SPHERE experts participated in the development of LEGS, including the Feinstein International Center of Tufts University, FAO, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the African Union, and Veterinaires sans Frontieres Belgium (LEGS 2009). The book does not address either wildlife or companion animals, but many of its useful standards would be valuable.