V NarayanaMurthi | ENS Vellore THE experimental trials conducted in Vellore district on the new vaccine evolved by the Tamilnadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS), to combat the deadly anthrax, have proved to be successful, according to its vice-chancellor Dr P Thangaraju. He was here on Wednesday to visit the Veterinary University and Training Center, functioning since 1981 for the benefit of livestock and poultry. The new Montimide Adjuvated vaccine, developed by the vaccine research centre attached to the university, is found to be overcoming the problems faced in the application of the existing spore vaccine, which at times developed side effects on animals. Anthrax is widely prevalent in Vellore district due to large scale animal slaughtering and leather manufacturing. The disease-causing anaerobic bacteria stays as spores for a longer duration in the soil and grass and infects animals. Thangaraju said that a Rs 34-crore scheme has been proposed to set up a 'Bio-security laboratory' at the Institute of Veterinary and Preventive Medicine at Ranipet, under the National Agricultural Development Plan (NADP), where the new anthrax vaccine would be produced in large scale. The university is also launching a scheme for improving the quality of milk and meat by cross-breeding local goats with Boer variety of South African origin through artificial insemination using pellets. The Vellore centre has also been conducting research work on identifying deficient mineral components in the soil, fodder and the blood serum of cattle in Vellore and Tiruvannamalai districts to overcome the problem of infertility in female bovines. To help the poultry farmers, Thangaraju said that a project proposal has been submitted to the DRDA for the establishment of an integrated hatchery and feedmill at an estimated cost of Rs 3.75 crore, by forming self help groups of farmers.