26 Feb 2013

Parliament was, on Monday, told that the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) continues to be a major challenge in the eastern and northern parts of the country: zone six and one two.

Minister Christian De Graaff said this when presenting the Ministry of Agriculture’s 2013/14 proposal of over P1 billion and over P628 million, which are for recurrent and development budgets respectively. He said the disease situation in Bobirwa (zone seven) was under control with the last case recorded in August 2011.

As a result, he said the ministry would use a total of P117 993 000 under the Animal Disease Emergency Control programme to re-stock areas in zones six and seven that were affected by the FMD outbreak last year.

Part of the funds, the minister said, would be used to construct and maintain cordon fences. However, the minister indicated that vaccination against the disease was continuing.

He said as part of the long term, FMD control strategy along the common border with Zimbabwe, the joint FMD vaccination project, within the 40km area into the neighbouring country along the common border was extended by two years up to 2014/15.

He said following positive FMD situation in zone seven resulting from the collaboration, Botswana had reached a bilateral trade agreement with South Africa and Zimbabwe for their importation of deboned matured beef and live cattle.

The minister also told Parliament that subsequent to the isolation of the FMD virus in small stock in the containment zone (zone six), all small stock in the affected part of the zone was vaccinated and would continue to be given booster vaccinations every four months until the disease had been eradicated.

He indicated that restocking was scheduled for April/May this year. In other issues, Mr De Graaff indicated that Botswana resumed export to the European Union (EU) in September last year, subsequent to satisfactorily addressing shortfalls that were raised during the 2011 EU audit.

He also told the house that his ministry had decided to shift from the use of bolus to ear tags. The minister told Parliament that following the release of Musi breed, the ministry had intensified efforts to multiply and avail the breed to farmers. Through the public private partnership initiative, he said local cattle breeders and related institutions had been approached for Musi breed multiplication.

He said two Musi young bulls had been sent to Ramatlabama A.I laboratory for semen collection and storage. “Once the semen is readily available, farmers will be able to purchase it for breeding,” he said. ENDS