16 Mar 2022

 Government has been urged to declare some areas in Ngamiland green zones because they had been without Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) for a long time.

Toteng Farmers Committee chairperson, Mr Baitlamedi Motsamai said areas such as the Hainaveld ranches and some communal areas had not been exposed to FMD for years and that declaring them green zones would enable greater access of Ngamiland beef to high value markets.

He said Ngamiland farmers had been unable to sell their cattle for better returns because of the FMD stigma.

He noted that the region was among areas where FMD outbreaks were likely to occur, but stated that they had been striving to contain the disease, taking their cattle for vaccination whenever required to do so.

He said Hainaveld commercial farmers managed to curb the disease because of cooperation and proper management of animals.

Mr Motsamai noted that in the recent vaccination campaign in the Toteng region, which is a communal grazing area, they managed to vaccinate over 70 per cent of the animals.

He also highlighted that water was a challenge in Ngamiland and that they used shared water points which made it  difficult to manage animals and control diseases.

Mr Motsamai also decried the lack of maintenance of the buffer zone, saying it was meant to separate the red zone from the green zone. He said proper maintenance of the protection fence could help cattle famers in Ngamiland. ENDS