06 Jul 2017

Officials from Angola and Namibia are to audit the Botswana Meat Commission abattoir in Maun before the plant can start exporting meat to Angola through Namibia, says North West District council chairperson.

Mr Duncan Enga told the ongoing council session that the abattoir continues to seek markets as 172 tonnes of meat worth P5.96 million was exported to Vietnam, Kuwait and Mozambique since the beginning of the year.

Councillor Enga said the abattoir had slaughtered over 12 000 cattle as compared to 9 219 at the same time last year.

The council was informed that over 954 tonnes of beef worth P23.8 million had been sold from the green zone from January to date. The council chair said the meat was sold to  the Greater Gaborone region while over 10 tonnes was sold in Ngamiland and Kasane for P346 000.

Furthermore, councillor Enga said restriction measures have been put in place in the Okavango Sub-district after cattle from Namibia entered the country in April this year, noting that the first round of surveillance had been done and that the second had begun.   

Regarding Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), the council chairperson noted that the Department of Veterinary Services was currently in a district wide campaign for the Botswana Animal Identification Traceability System (BAITS) and FMD.

He said the campaign was in four phases and that 40 teams were engaged in both FMD and BAITS campaigns, adding that the campaign was expected to be completed this month.

Since Shorobe extension area is a high risk area, councillor Enga said ear-tagging and vaccination started long before the campaign and that it was  still ongoing.  He said 98 739 cattle or 80.64 per cent have been vaccinated while 71 294 or 72 per cent cattle have been ear tagged.

The district has engaged 57 BAITS agents.

Councillors were also told that tick infestation in some areas in the Okavango District was under control as 3 776 cattle had been dipped.

Councillor Enga said through extension workers, farmers in the affected areas of Tubu, Gumare and Etsha 6 had been advised to dip their livestock regularly.

The district has experienced an outbreak of stable fly, Lethobo, due to heavy rains received at the beginning of the year, and dipping cattle to control the fly ran for two weeks, the council chair told councillors

He said 20 524 animals and 686 kraals were sprayed, and that no cases were reported after the exercise. ENDS