02 Aug 2015

The Minister of Agriculture, Mr Patrick Ralotsia, has expressed disappointment regarding the suspected outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) at Hainavelt farms, an area which has been always clear of the disease.

He said it was suprising as the outbreak was recorded after he made an announcement recently that Maun abattoir would be closed temporarily to pave way for upgrading of the plant and that an arrangement had been made to sell cattle from Hainavelt farms to Francistown abattoir.

Addressing a kgotla meeting at Sehithwa, Mr Ralotsia suspected that the outbreak was done deliberately as the affected cattle were not from the Hainavelt farms but were mixed with cattle from the farms.

“The outbreak was recorded the day when cattle were ready to be transported to Francistown for slaughter and some suspected cattle were missing,” he added.

He said this was an indication that some people could have driven the cattle to the farms deliberately to disturb the arrangement. The minister said cattle from Hainavelt were enjoying a stable market in Zimbabwe because the area had always been clear of the disease and that government was hopeful that it had won the battle in that area.

Mr Ralotsia revealed that government spent P20 million annually to fight FMD in Ngamiland and expressed disappointment that some farmers still frustrated efforts made by failing to join hands to control and contain the disease.

He told residents that the funds were channelled to improve their living standards since they stayed years without selling. He appealed to farmers to join hands with veterinary officers and exercise 100 per-cent vaccinations noting that they should ensure all cattle were vaccinated.

He said vaccination remained the only best option to control and contain the disease hence the need to do good vaccination coverage in the district. Residents were also advised to manage and look after their livestock to ensure they did not cross the buffalo fence and graze into stock free zones.

Mr Ralotsia also stated that Botswana beef was rated the best in Africa and raised a concern that some people illegally crossed  prohibited products at the check point gates.

He said Ngamiland was surrounded by other districts such as Ghanzi, an area which is declared a green zone and could face danger if products from red zone were crossed to the area.

The minister told residents that government cared about them and urged them to obey the control measures in place.

Acting Maun Administrative Authority chairperson, Mr Nico Folae also expressed concern regarding the outbreak noting that they thought the situation was under control and hoped farmers would have an opportunity to sell more cattle.

He said the outbreak has drawn back the government efforts of winning the battle through movement control and urged farmers to work closely with government officials.

Mr Folae noted that the recent resurgence of FMD cases in the district had impacted negatively on the lives of the communities as mostly depended solely on cattle rearing. Ends