25 Mar 2014

The Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) pays for all products derived from animals it slaughters, Minister of Agriculture, Mr Christiaan De Graaff, has said.

Mr De Graaff was answering a question in Parliament from South East South MP, Mr Odirile Motlhale.

The cattle price, he said, was derived from the difference between the average weighed market selling price of meat products and by-products such as; offals and hides and the cost of production including government levy. “Therefore, BMC prices pays for the whole animal including by-products,” he added.

Regarding the condemned carcasses, Mr De Graaff said in the case where an animal was condemned ante-mortem (before slaughter), it was classified as specified risk material by a statutory instrument of Botswana, and it could not be used for any type of processing.

“BMC does not pay any compensation, because such carcass is either burned or landfilled,” he said. In the case where an animal was condemned, he said BMC used the affected carcass for rendering and production of meat-and bone-meal and compensated the owner at a rate of P150 per condemned carcass.

Mr Motlhale had asked Mr De Graaff if BMC paid farmers for offals and condemned carcasses and if not, why?

Meanwhile, when responding to another question from Mr Motlhale, Mr De Graaff said he was aware of a case of suspected animal poisoning in the Ramotswa area by a farmer. He added that the case was currently being investigated by Botswana Police Service.

South East South MP had asked the Minister of Agriculture to update the house on the incident that took place at the Masimo a ko Lareng in Ramotswa where one farmer was alleged to have poisoned and killed some farmers’ cattle as well as some wild animals including monkeys and baboons.

Furthermore, Mr Motlhale wanted Mr De Graaff to state the; type of poison or chemical the farmer allegedly used and whether the chemical was legal, number of other animal species that died as a result of this act and whether it was true that the said farmer had been linked to similar acts in the past from another district. Ends