10 Nov 2013

Gates found along the disease control fences are technically biosecurity inspection points, said the principal agricultural information and public relations oOfficer, Ms Irene Modibetsane.

In an interview, Ms Modibetsane said the gates were strategically placed to facilitate enforcement of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) controls, especially movement controls at points of entry/exit between disease control zones.

She said with the FMD diseases now concentrated in the northern parts of the country, some of the fences were no longer critical, but might be of use in the future, and controls along them including the gates had been scaled down as these fences cut across zones of similar FMD status.

Ms Modibetsane said in some instances, fences and staff had been removed while in others the controls had been scaled down with random searching of travellers and stated that controls up north are always extensive; with continuous searching and disinfection as most of these fences separate zones of different disease status.

She said her ministry is manning all the gates along fences that separates zones of different disease status and are open 24 hours and seven days a week such as Makalamabedi along the (A3)Nata/Maun road, Kuke, along the Ghanzi/Maun road (A3) and Ngwasha gate which is along the Nata/Kazungula road (A33)among others.

Ms Modibetsane said the first disease control fence in Botswana was constructed in 1956 and since then, more fences have been erected to control FMD, which was successfully eradicated in the southern and western (Ghanzi area) parts of the country due to effective FMD controls.

She said the reason why there are fences is for the fact that communal farming is the predominant farming system in the country where livestock move freely over long distances and it becomes a challenge when it comes controlling animal diseases. Ends