FMD outbreak wears heavily on farmers

The recent outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease at the Segogwane Crush in the Hainaveld West is a major blow to farmers. The outbreak was discovered a few days before some cattle from Hainaveld were slated to be slaughtered at the Francistown abattoir.

The plague has divided farmers as some small farmers are accusing big farmers from the Hainaveld of causing the outbreak by illegally moving cattle from communal grazing areas to the Hainaveld upon hearing that there is a market. Farmers also told Minister of Agriculture Patrick Ralotsia to institute investigations surrounding the circumstances of the outbreak during a recent meeting between the minister and farmers in Maun. There are also allegations that some veterinary services officials and farmers from other areas bought cattle from affected areas and illegally moved the animals to Hainaveld upon hearing that there will be a market for the cattle in the area.

Farmers also alleged that animals that were found with the disease had new brands something which left many people with questions. Hainaveld has been declared the green zone of Ngamiland because it has had no cases of FMD since the disease broke out in the district in 2007. The outbreak is a setback to the government efforts to turn Hainaveld into a green zone and access the lucrative markets of European Union. Government millions were used to create a protective zone to separate the region and the project is almost complete. According to the Ngamiland Agricultural Public Relations Officer, Bautule Kealatotse, illegal movement of cattle around the district is a major concern. “All those cattle that were showing clinical signs of FMD are not from Hainaveld, they are from other areas,” he said.

Kealatotse said farmers are not cooperative adding that this will make it difficult for the ministry to control the disease, as they are aiming at containing the disease in one area. Kealatotse said veterinary officers’ team which is at Hainaveld East is busy checking the cattle, but there are no signs and cases of FMD so far, he said. He cited districts like Bobonong which managed to curb the disease because of the cooperation of farmers. Another District leader Kgosi Boitiro Dithapo of Sehithwa village condemned farmers who continue to move cattle illegally around the district. Kgosi Dithapo urged the ministry to impose force in patrolling the fences, citing the protection zone, saying since the arrival of Botswana Defence Force officicers there are no cases of damage reported. He said this suggests that it is the farmers that destroy the fence. A farmer at Kareng village, Frisco Gabokakangwe, expressed displeasure on the issue and requested the ministry to investigate cattle that were found with the disease.