ABU DHABI // Keeping his sheep healthy is a constant struggle for the Liwa farmer Abdullah Al Amimi.
His herd of 250 needs much care and constant monitoring to stop diseases developing.
For three years, Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA) has been providing free vaccines for his flock.
That helps, said Mr Al Amimi, but it is not the whole solution.
"The authority is doing its bit by giving my sheep shots three times a year but it's not a weekly programme," he said. "You can't just say I'll give them that many shots and that's it. There are other problems that cannot be controlled, like diarrhoea and ticks."
Mr Al Amimi buys shampoos and sprays from veterinary pharmacies in Abu Dhabi, Liwa and Madinat Zayed, at a cost of between Dh2,000 and Dh3,000 a year.
It is worth it, as a healthy sheep sells for about Dh600, but it is still a substantial expense and one that Mr Al Amimi and others are keen for the ADFCA to help out more.
Since September, the authority has administered close to 3 million immunisation shots.
It vaccinates against foot-and-mouth disease, which causes fever and blisters in cows, sheep and goats; contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCP), which affects the lungs of sheep and goats and can cause sudden death in goats; the viral disease ovine rinderpest, which causes diarrhoea, fever and swelling of the mucous membranes; and sheep and goat pox, which leads to blisters on the mucous membranes.
All of the diseases are lethal.
In the UAE, salmonella is by far the worst, said Dr Naimuddin Syed of the National Veterinary Hospital in Abu Dhabi.
"Worldwide, pleuropneumonia is the worst disease and it is also the most infectious," Dr Syed said.
The ADFCA says it is doing what it can. "[We] are putting all our efforts in supporting livestock, preventing and monitoring diseases and controlling proliferation," said Saeed Jasem Mohamed, its acting communications director.
Last winter, it gave 5 million vaccinations against the four diseases. This year it is aiming for more.
So far this winter, it has twice offered spraying for ticks at veterinary clinics across Abu Dhabi. It will do so twice more before summer.
The Ministry of Environment and Water also helps out with preventive measures against Clostridium difficile and enterotoxaemia, also known as pulpy kidney disease, and salmonella and pasteurella.
But for other diseases, ministry vets will only visit when animals become sick, leaving farmers to turn to private clinics for prevention.
The National Veterinary Hospital sells 25 doses of salmonella and pasteurella vaccine for Dh72. Vaccinating against all diseases cover-ed by the ministry costs Dh120 a head.
The hospital receives on average four sheep a month, and its vets visit an average of two farms.
"Farmers might come to us because sometimes animals don't respond to medicine given by the ministry," said Dr Syed. "So they might think it's a problem with the doctor."
That was the case for Rashid Burshaid, a farmer in Khor Fakkan who vaccinates his 50 goats twice a year, depending on their health.
"Sometimes, I get the vaccines from the ministry but not that often because they don't have good qualified doctors," he said. "I went twice this year and the results were poor."
The ministry visited his farm last week after one of his goats fell ill. So far the animal has not recovered, so he went to a private pharmacy.
"If I don't have enough money, then I'll go back to the ministry because it's free," Mr Burshaid said.
Mr Al Amimi said he would keep using the ADFCA services, "even if they're very slow".
cmalek@thenational.ae
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
Napoleon
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Company%20Profile
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Company%20Profile
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THE%20STRANGERS'%20CASE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Brandt%20Andersen%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOmar%20Sy%2C%20Jason%20Beghe%2C%20Angeliki%20Papoulia%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Scores
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,470,000 (est)
Engine 6.9-litre twin-turbo W12
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 626bhp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,350rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.0L / 100km
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
AIDA%20RETURNS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now