United Nations Radio

Cold temperatures have killed more than one and a half million livestock in Mongolia threatening the livelihoods of 21,000 herder families and putting them at risk of food insecurity.

livestock in Mongolia

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says a spell of intense cold, with temperatures dropping to minus 40 to 50 degrees Celsius, followed by a very dry and long summer and autumn produced insufficient fodder to feed the livestock during the winter months.
The agency has made an assessment of the impact of the disaster on the population a third of whom depend entirely on livestock for a living.
FAO says their cattle, sheep, goats, horses and camels, the main household assets, are perishing from cold, exhaustion or starvation with the total economic losses so far estimated at $62 million.
The United Nations agriculture agency says that substantial numbers of wildlife are also dying.
The agency warns that if current conditions persist, the losses could reach 3-4 million head of livestock by spring.

FAO's assessment found that external assistance of $6 million is urgently needed over the next two to three months to help the herders make it through to spring.

Gerry Adams, United Nations

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