14 Jun 2016

A team working in the ongoing ear tagging system under the Economic Stimulus Package (ESP) in Ngamiland is expected to bring about positive results. 

Speakers said this during a Botswana Animal Information and Traceability System (BAITS) meeting in Maun recently.

The meeting was meant to, among other things, come up with resolutions to mobilise the initiative.

Dr Comfort Nkgowe of Maun veterinary office said the initiative was not doing well because farmers failed to avail their livestock for ear tagging.

Another challenge in this initiative, he said, was that network failure made it difficult for the farmers’ details to be entered into the system on time.

Dr Nkgowe further noted that since the inception of this initiative in January, they have issued 100 412 ear tags to farmers and only 17 459 tags have been used so far. “It is a big loss for the government so far as ear tags are just kept by farmers without using them,” he noted.

He also lamented that the response they got from the taggers also known as agents, was that farmers prioritize their personal interests adding that when the date was set for tagging, they would rather go and perform other duties elsewhere.

He said that alone, makes a loss to the taggers who spend a lot in travelling to the farms.

He also said the department took time informing farmers about the initiative and asking them to count their livestock adding that they even preached that information through kgotla meetings. Dr Nkgowe revealed that firstly there were 59 youth employed for this initiative and currently only 39 were left.

He also said the situation of not tagging animals has gone beyond their control as officers were now forced to find out the best alternative to run the programme and ensure that all unused tags were taken back to offices where they were needed.

Principal scientific officer, Mr Keeletile Segosebe, said ear tags had been collected and not used since January, adding that they expected the programme to be at 70 per cent by now.

Mr Segosebe also said if this ear tagging programme could have been conducted rightfully, by now it would have relieved the current identification marks of branding which is affecting and destroying the animal skin. ENDS