Cross-border cattle grazing denounced
Kenya Kambowe
RUNDU
With government having spent close to N$100 million to successfully deal with the recent outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), all this effort might soon be in vain as some local farmers in the Kavango regions have resorted to cross-border grazing. This while it remains unclear whether neighbouring Angola has dealt with its FMD outbreak successfully.
Chief veterinary officer in the agriculture ministry, Dr Albertina Shilongo, yesterday said the ministry was aware of the outbreak of FMD in the southern part of Angola, however, there has been no report on whether that country vaccinated its livestock and has been declared FMD-free.
She was responding to an enquiry on whether it is safe for local farmers, especially those in the Kavango and Ohangwena regions, to drive their cattle over to Angola for grazing purposes.
“It is actually not safe for our cattle to graze in Angola because we are just risking cattle to FMD,” Shilongo said.
“There was a FMD outbreak reported in Angola last September and we are not certain that they vaccinated their cattle for the disease. If the cattle are crossing every day and go to water points where the outbreak was detected in Angola, it’s a high risk for us,” she said.
Cooperation needed
“We just need cooperation from the farmers. Even when we had our meeting with the farmers in the Kavango regions, it was reported that there were farmers who did not take their cattle for vaccinations when veterinary services requested them to do so, and that is a big problem because those animals that are not vaccinated will be vulnerable to contract FMD when they get in contact with infected animals and wild animals such as buffalos,” Shilongo said.
“We really want farmers to cooperate and bring their cattle home and take them to be vaccinated. All cattle should be vaccinated.”
Meanwhile, agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein in February revealed that of the 800 000-strong cattle population in the north, government planned to vaccinate 500 000 animals, adding that one million doses were needed for the northern regions, including Zambezi.
FMD was first detected on 28 September 2020 in Kavango East and subsequently spread to Kavango West, Ohangwena, Oshikoto and Oshana, affecting nine constituencies.
Since January, no new cases of FMD had been recorded, and last month saw movement restricts on cloven-hoofed animals and their products being lifted in the FMD Protection Zone.
Vaccination of cattle will continue to prevent possible future outbreaks, while FMD surveillance will also continue.
[email protected]
RUNDU
With government having spent close to N$100 million to successfully deal with the recent outbreak of Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), all this effort might soon be in vain as some local farmers in the Kavango regions have resorted to cross-border grazing. This while it remains unclear whether neighbouring Angola has dealt with its FMD outbreak successfully.
Chief veterinary officer in the agriculture ministry, Dr Albertina Shilongo, yesterday said the ministry was aware of the outbreak of FMD in the southern part of Angola, however, there has been no report on whether that country vaccinated its livestock and has been declared FMD-free.
She was responding to an enquiry on whether it is safe for local farmers, especially those in the Kavango and Ohangwena regions, to drive their cattle over to Angola for grazing purposes.
“It is actually not safe for our cattle to graze in Angola because we are just risking cattle to FMD,” Shilongo said.
“There was a FMD outbreak reported in Angola last September and we are not certain that they vaccinated their cattle for the disease. If the cattle are crossing every day and go to water points where the outbreak was detected in Angola, it’s a high risk for us,” she said.
Cooperation needed
“We just need cooperation from the farmers. Even when we had our meeting with the farmers in the Kavango regions, it was reported that there were farmers who did not take their cattle for vaccinations when veterinary services requested them to do so, and that is a big problem because those animals that are not vaccinated will be vulnerable to contract FMD when they get in contact with infected animals and wild animals such as buffalos,” Shilongo said.
“We really want farmers to cooperate and bring their cattle home and take them to be vaccinated. All cattle should be vaccinated.”
Meanwhile, agriculture minister Calle Schlettwein in February revealed that of the 800 000-strong cattle population in the north, government planned to vaccinate 500 000 animals, adding that one million doses were needed for the northern regions, including Zambezi.
FMD was first detected on 28 September 2020 in Kavango East and subsequently spread to Kavango West, Ohangwena, Oshikoto and Oshana, affecting nine constituencies.
Since January, no new cases of FMD had been recorded, and last month saw movement restricts on cloven-hoofed animals and their products being lifted in the FMD Protection Zone.
Vaccination of cattle will continue to prevent possible future outbreaks, while FMD surveillance will also continue.
[email protected]
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