Foot- and- Mouth Disease control strategy under review
The Department of Veterinary Services ( DVS) this week set in motion the process to review its current Foot- and- Mouth Disease ( FMD) control strategy in a two- day workshop.
The workshop was also aimed at taking stock of what has been achieved to date since the last review in 2012. It was also to align it with current scientific knowledge and international best practices as espoused in the standards provided by the World Organisation for Animal Health ( OIE).
The review is also expected to form the basis of managing the Foot- and- Mouth Disease over the short, medium and long- term perspective. During the official opening ceremony at the Grand Palm Hotel, officials from the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security ( MoA) welcomed the new measures to strengthen FMD controls and highlighted the beef sector’s importance to the economy of Botswana with regards to rural income along with export potential.
Director for the Department of International Trade Lesedi Kgotlele was pleased to see the European Union Economic Partnership Agreement Support Programme supporting the review of the Foot- and- Mouth Disease Control Strategy, which was last reviewed in 2012.
Kgotlele also expressed gratitude to the Department of Veterinary Services for “setting this very important process in motion”.
Kgotlele said the livestock sector is important to the economy of Botswana both in terms of exports and rural livelihoods. The beef sector, in particular, she observed, has suffered major setbacks due to foot- and- mouth disease outbreaks, particularly in the red zones.
“Any measures, therefore, to strengthen footand- mouth disease controls in Botswana are most welcome as they will contribute to the viability of the sector and allow for increased internal trade as well as exports from both our green and red zones,” she said.
An esteemed panel of nine key experts drawn from the DVS, the Botswana Vaccine Institute ( BVI) as well as the world OIE has gathered in Gaborone for the proceedings and will map out the framework for developing this strategy.
The strategy is recognised as an important organ in ensuring the integrity of the green zones and avoiding any disruption of accessing the EU Market.
Speaking on behalf of the EU Delegation in Botswana, Tebogo Matlhare said they are pleased to see that the implementation of the EPA’s National Action Plan is gaining momentum.
“The EU is committed to supporting development in Botswana and the SADC region. The EPA’s Support Programme in Botswana identifies eight areas requiring action for Botswana to make the most out of the duty- free and quota- free market access and flexible Rules of Origin offered under the EPA”.
Matlhare noted that the EU and the government of Botswana have recently agreed to a project to support the EPA’s implementation, with a budget of € 6 million, approximately P78 million from the 11th European Development Fund ( EDF).
The project is implemented by a consortium led by GOPA Worldwide Consultants; the company that has brought a team of high- level experts led by Colm Halloran for a three- year residency in Botswana.
The key function of the DVS is to provide animal and public health services to achieve a sustainable and competitive livestock industry, through the prevention and control of important animal diseases.
In order to achieve this function effectively, the Department needs to continuously review and refine the tools it uses to carry out its activities.
FMD has a profound negative impact on
farmers’ livelihoods especially with regards to the movement and marketing of cloven- hoofed animals including their products, within the country and for export.
Addressing delegates, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agricultural Development and Food Security, Tiny Diswai said the foot- and- mouth disease challenge in the NorthWestern part of Botswana, recurring outbreaks in
neighbouring countries and the need to maintain and expand FMD free zones, have necessitated the review process. “This review is done in the context of evolving disease trends, the applicability of commodity- based trade and compartmentalisation. The Ministry is expected to come up with new measures to strengthen our existing control measures. This underscores the importance that our Ministry places, on the livestock sector,”
Diswai said. The event is supported by the EUfunded Support Programme to the Economic Partnership Agreement ( EPA) Implementation Plan in Botswana. The EPA Support Programme is providing technical support to the DVS in consolidating the integrity of the FMD free zone for export to the EU, the UK and other countries.
It also aims to unlock trade activities for animal products from the red zones of Botswana.