FMD outbreak opens old wounds
The recent detection of the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in Zone 6(b) in the North East District (NED) will for obvious reasons have various players across the beef value chain in the district and the whole country very worried. Following similar outbreaks in the past, pastoralists were left counting losses after their livestock was culled to control FMD from spreading to other parts of the country and to safeguard the vital and lucrative European Union (EU) market. Staffer CHAKALISA DUBE and Correspondent LEBOGANG MOSIKARE report
FRANCISTOWN: FMD is a viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs, and wild animals like buffalos.
The virus is extremely contagious; it can travel on air currents and infect animals many kilometres away from the source. Animals can also be infected by close or direct contact with other infected animals, or contaminated people, vehicles and equipment, according to animal health specialists.
Since the recent outbreak of FMD, surveillance measures have been stepped up in the zone to prevent the contagious disease from spreading afar and potentially bring the wholly beef industry to its knees.
In the past, cattle farmers decried the measly P1,700 that the government compensated them with for cattle killed to control the spread of FMD. The blanket figure did not take into consideration the breed of the cattle and other factors.
Therefore, it was not surprising that in 2017 some 47 farmers in the NED instituted a lawsuit against the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).
The farmers pleaded with the court to review the one-size-fits-all policy of compensating them with P1,700 and they succeeded. In their papers, the livestock keepers who were represented by advocate Duma Boko and the late attorney Miriro Furusa, produced documents showing that some of their cattle were pedigrees worth P70,000.
The recent FMD outbreak will reignite the gloomy experience that livestock owners suffered since 2001.
For example in 2001 and 2011, Simon Lephalo, a farmer in Matsiloje village, lost 200 and 390 cattle respectively after the government took a decision to cull them as a measure to control the spread of FMD in Zone 6.
Already, since FMD was detected in Zone 6(b), meat entrepreneurs and customers are already bearing its brunt-prices of meat have skyrocketed because of low supply while the demand is high.
All the affected stakeholders in the beef value chain not only pin their hopes in prayers but will also hope that MoA will urgently employ a number of measures and allocate sufficient resources to control the highly contagious transboundary disease.
The recent outbreak has also caused panic amongst farmers. Their hope is that one of the government interventions will not be culling of their cattle.
However, the affected parties may also take solace in the fact that last year, the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) set in motion a process to review its current FMD control strategy.
The objective of the arrangement was to take stock of what has been achieved to date since the last review in 2012 and then to align it with current scientific knowledge and international best practices as espoused by the standards provided by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
This will form the basis of managing the FMD over the short, medium and long-term perspectives, DVS said.
The new measures were hailed as a panacea to strengthen FMD controls owing to the importance of the beef sector to the economy with regards to rural income along with export potential.
“I am very pleased to see the European Union Economic Partnership Agreement Support Programme supporting the review of the FMD Control Strategy, which was last reviewed in 2012. I am most grateful to the DVS for setting this very important process in motion,” said Director for the Department of International Trade, Lesedi Kgotlele.
“The livestock sector is important to the economy of this country both in terms of exports and the rural livelihoods. The beef sector in particular has suffered major setbacks due to FMD outbreaks particularly in the red zones. Any measures therefore, to strengthen FMD 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.”
Asked to comment on the current situation, Andrew Seeletso, publicity secretary of Botswana National Beef Producers Union (BNBPU), pleaded with officials of the DVS to expedite their surveillance measures to detect the extent of the spread of FMD in Zone 6(b) in order to urgently bring the situation under control.
“The outbreak of FMD in Zone 6(b) has negatively affected cattle farmers in various ways. As you may be aware, some of us solely depend on livestock keeping to earn a living. This means that we are now finding it hard to supply the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC), butcheries and retail stores with meat because of the restrictions in the movement of animals.
This situation is very painful,” a worried Seeletso said. Giving an update of the recent outbreak, the Minister of Agriculture, Fidelis Molao said so far 38 cattle have tested positive for FMD in Butale, Senyawe, Jakalas 1 and Ramokgwebana villages.
He highlighted that it is still early to determine what strategy will be deployed to deal with the recent outbreak or how many cattle and farmers will be affected.
“Until we conclude surveillance in the concerned areas the budget to control the disease remains a moving target,” he said, adding that farmers are cooperating very well with the government officers on the ground.
Vaccination as a temporary measure to mitigate against the spread of the virus has already commenced in zone 6b (Butale and surrounding areas), as a temporary measure while a long-term solution is being worked out.
Molao added his ministry has a responsibility for maintaining cordon fences. The fences are used to control the movement of cloven-hoofed animals as a measure to prevent the outbreak of FMD.
He, however, admitted that the ministry continues to face challenges of maintenance due to the constant damage caused by animals such as elephants and some people who cut the fences to take their animals to watering points or where they think grazing pastures are better.
Molao also said he cannot give much information on the construction of an electric fence along the Zimbabwe-Botswana border as part of a raft of interventions to combat FMD.
In 2018 during the centenary celebrations in Matsiloje, the government announced plans to construct a fence along the Botswana-Zimbabwe border with a view to control the movement of elephants.
Residents of Matsiloje had cried out that their FMD woes were compounded by the fact that elephants constantly destroyed the border fence.
In response to why the electric fence has not been erected till today, Molao could only say that diplomatic engagements with Zimbabwe on the management of border fences and overall management of FMD were ongoing.
He said the Defence Ministry is best placed to give an update on the proposed project. He also said that President Mokgweetsi Masisi was recently on a state visit to Zimbabwe adding that one of the issues that were discussed was the establishment of a commission to address cattle rustling in the Bobirwa area.
The constant FMD outbreak in the country has also been largely attributed to cattle rustling between Botswana and Zimbabwe particularly in the Bobirwa area.
“The fight against FMD anywhere in the country is not the responsibility of the government alone but it is shared with the farmers having the responsibility to look after their animals and kraaling them to ensure they do not stray into areas that can expose them to the virus,” Molao concluded his response to