05 Jan 2020

 Principal veterinary officer, Dr Odireleng Thololwane says a decision has been taken to suspend entry of cattle at Makalamabedi quarantine due to overgrazing.

In an interview with BOPA, he said the decision was taken following the revival of the Quota Allocation Committee as members felt that the facility needed time to recover.

The quarantine system was implemented in Ngamiland district recently in an effort to facilitate Commodity Based Trade (CBT) approach. It was reported that the quarantine had not been effective for more than 10 years and the government decided to rehabilitate them, starting with the Makalamabedi one as it needed minimal resources.

To lift the suspension, Dr Thololwane said they would be guided by the level of grazing, adding that range officers would assess the situation before they could accommodate cattle.

When the quarantine started, he said there was no Quota Allocation Committee and his department wrote to all relevant stakeholders including farming community to revive it.

He also pointed out that the committee had also taken a decision to allow zero grazing as they had kraals for such an arrangement.

“If one is interested to feedlot his/her animals, the quarantine is open. We have also considered the use of private owned quarantine/on farm system and we have already done that in two farms,” he added.

He said over 500 cattle had been sent to Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) in Maun from the private owned quarantines and the arrangement was under the supervision of department of Veterinary Services.Dr Thololwane appreciated the arrangement saying it had helped them to reduce pressure on the government facility, further explaining that over-grazing was caused by congestion of animals during the first entry at the facility as farmers brought more than expected.

Initially, he said, they requested 2 800 cattle from the whole district but wanted them in segment because each paddock accommodated 500 animals and at the same time BMC issued a quota of 3 000 animals and ‘that is where the problem of overcrowding came from.’

Since it was the start of the drought period, many farmers, he said, brought high numbers of cattle because of good vegetation at the facility.

Dr Thololwane said their intention was to keep cattle in quarantines and manage them until they mature and ready for slaughter.
BMC, he said needed to slaughter 600 animals per week.

As a result of overcrowding, he said animals took long to be slaughtered and also they experienced challenges of regular plant breakdown at the abattoir.

In addition, he said, some farmers also contributed to the delay to slaughter as some brought cattle without permits and stayed for some days without feeding and water while some experienced transport challenges.

Meanwhile, there had been an outcry by some farmers that there was no proper management at the facility.

They complained that they lost many cattle there because of congestion and lack of grazing and water.

One of the farmers who preferred to remain anonymous revealed that most of the farmers were reluctant to bring their cattle and thus contributed to the early closing of the abattoir because the supply of animals was low.

In response, Dr Thololwane refuted allegations that the closing of the abattoir was due to poor management of the quarantine, noting that the closure was a business decision by the abattoir management.
He also explained that feeding, and watering of cattle at the quarantine was the responsibility of whoever brought the animals while the department provided holding facility.
ENDS