02 Mar 2017

Principal veterinary officer, Dr Odireleng Thololwane has urged Ngamiland farmers to take Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccination campaigns seriously so that they benefit from the upcoming beef markets.

Dr Thololwane said the Maun abattoir had secured various markets outside the country and currently most farmers failed to heed the call during the massive vaccination exercise, which came to an end mid February.

He expressed concern in an interview that the vaccination campaign did not go according to their expectations as their target was 80 per cent.

He said they managed 52 per cent because most farmers claimed that vaccination came at the wrong time during rainy and ploughing seasons, thus they could not divide their attention. 

Dr Thololwane said since some countries had shown interest in buying meat from the Ngamiland region, farmers should get motivated and augment government efforts in facilitating them to meet requirements and market their cattle.

He stated that FMD risks increased during the rainy season, adding that there was no good time for vaccination, hence farmers should respond positively when called.

He said only farmers at Hainaveld, Shorobe, Shakawe and some areas at zone 2a heeded the call while at zones 2c and 2d the campaign was a total flop.

He regretted that most of the time farmers complained about lack of beef markets, yet they did not want to do the right thing in efforts to secure alternative markets.

He reminded them that countries were competing for the beef market, hence the need to join hands with government in controlling the disease.

Further, he said farmers should understand that government spent millions on the FMD vaccination exercise, hence they needed to up their game.

“Farmers should show seriousness when it comes to vaccination campaigns because it attracts a lot of expenses. It was frustrating as some farmers indicated that they could not find their cattle while some showed no interest at all to vaccinate,” he added.

However, Dr Thololwane revealed that the department made some efforts to do some follow-ups through farmers associations, which promised to engage farmers and sensitise them about the need to vaccinate cattle on time.

Thus, he called on farmers to adopt a business mind strategy, where they looked after their cattle and also kept a manageable few.

He said most farmers looked for their cattle when they wanted to sell, but most of the time cattle moved unattended.

Dr Thololwane said another massive vaccination campaign would be conducted in April and thus urged farmers to get prepared.

He said currently, those willing to vaccinate should arrange with officers because accessibility was a problem in some areas because of continuous rainfall. ENDS