Dr. Shahzad Naveed Jadoon
03000700007 | sjadoon@alltech.com
Floods remain one of Pakistan’s most destructive climatic hazards. Beyond immediate human displacement, they inflict deep and long-lasting damage on livestock and poultry – killing animals, washing away shelters and feed, spreading disease, and disrupting markets. These shocks ripple quickly into feed markets (maize, soybean/soymeal) and drive consumer prices higher for milk, meat, and eggs.
The 2025 floods have dealt a serious blow to Pakistan’s livestock, poultry, and dairy sectors, adding new pressure on food security and rural livelihoods. Weeks of torrential rainfall and flash floods displaced over two million people, submerged thousands of villages, and destroyed key farming infrastructure across Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan. The damage is widespread; initial reports from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa confirm over 6,200 livestock deaths and the loss of more than 3,200 acres of farmland.
In Sindh, officials estimate over 80,000 cattle have perished, with total livestock losses expected to exceed Rs 27 billion. Similar impacts are being reported in other regions, with poultry losses, damaged sheds, and destroyed fodder stocks compounding the crisis.
These losses are not just numbers they directly translate into reduced food production and rising costs for both producers and consumers. The sharp decline in livestock and poultry availability has lowered the supply of milk, eggs, and meat in many markets. Simultaneously, feed shortages caused by damaged maize and fodder crops have pushed prices up by 10- 30% in several regions.
Since feed accounts for the largest share of production costs in poultry and dairy farming, this has significantly increased overall production expenses. Market reports from 2025 show maize prices rising in flood-affected areas, with typical 40-kg bag prices ranging from PKR 1,900 to 3,000, depending on region and timing. To bridge feed shortfalls, both government and industry actors have moved to import large volumes of soybean and soymeal.
While necessary, this has exposed the sector to global price volatility and increased the national import bill. The poultry sector, in particular, is under pressure, as feed comprises approximately 60-70% of production costs, squeezing already thin profit margins.
As a result, retail prices for animal-based foods have risen sharply, contributing to double-digit food inflation and worsening food insecurity, especially for low-income households. Without timely recovery and support, these pressures are expected to persist in the coming months, with implications for both urban and rural communities.
The damage follows a clear causal chain: direct animal mortality → shelter and feed loss → disease outbreaks and reduced productivity → disruption of markets and veterinary services → higher input costs and lower output. Poultry has proven particularly vulnerable due to shed collapses and high mortality rates, while dairy herds are suffering from feed shortages and stress-related declines in milk yield.
The government has activated emergency veterinary services and mobile relief units to reach affected areas. In Punjab, mobile veterinary teams have been deployed, treating animals and distributing feed and medicine. These are important steps, but their impact could be enhanced by expanding coverage to remote areas, bundling veterinary care with feed relief, and using digital tools to track and support displaced or at-risk livestock. Smallholder farmers often with no savings, formal credit access, or insurance remain the most at risk of permanent livelihood loss.
To support recovery and prevent long-term setbacks, targeted actions are urgently needed. These include restocking programs for small farmers, subsidized feed procurement, and the construction of flood-resistant animal shelters and feed stores. Establishing decentralized fodder banks, promoting climate-resilient feed crops, and expanding livestock insurance coverage will also help build resilience against future climate-related shocks.
The floods of 2025 have once again underscored the structural vulnerability of Pakistan’s livestock and poultry sectors. Floods are not only an acute humanitarian emergency, but they are also a recurring economic risk with wide-reaching effects on food supply, price stability, and rural livelihoods. Timely, well-targeted relief, combined with medium- to long-term resilience investments, can reduce animal mortality, protect incomes, and limit the transmission of food-price shocks to already vulnerable households.