FMD crisis turns beef into luxury
For many Batswana, the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is no longer just a veterinary issue discussed in government statements and council meetings.
It has become a daily struggle touching homes, weddings, businesses, and even what families put on the table. As the country continues battling outbreaks across several disease control zones, frustration is growing in communities under strict movement restrictions, especially in Zone 11 and surrounding containment areas. The Ministry of Lands and Agriculture recently announced revised movement controls after suppressing outbreaks in
Zones 3c and 6b. According to the ministry, no new cases have been recorded in those areas since March 2026.
Vaccination campaigns are continuing in affected regions, while movement restrictions have been eased in some zones to support livestock trade and economic activity. Still, for many ordinary citizens, the changes bring little relief. But in villages around Lobatse, Molapowabojang, Digawana and Mogojogojo, residents say life has changed drastically since restrictions on the movement and slaughter of cloven-hoofed animals were introduced.
Beef, once a staple in many households, is slowly becoming a luxury. Residents in Zone 11 say they have gone months without freely enjoying beef because transporting meat has become risky and complicated.
Those caught carrying restricted meat at roadblocks sometimes lose everything after the products are confiscated and later destroyed by police. Street vendors and local butcheries are also struggling under the restrictions.
Many small businesses that survived on daily meat sales are battling to stay afloat as supplies tighten and customers disappear.
Informal traders who once sold cooked meat at taxi ranks and village streets are now operating under fear or shutting down completely. The impact is also reaching deep into Botswana’s traditions and culture.
Bride price negotiations, which have long involved the exchange of live cattle, are changing as some families now settle for money instead of livestock because movement restrictions make cattle transactions difficult.
Weddings and celebrations are no longer the same in many communities. Some cattle farmers say the restrictions are slowly draining them financially.
Molapowabojang farmer, Motlapele Mosweu, lamented, “You continue feeding cattle, but cannot sell freely. Bills continue piling up while income stops,” he said. Different families known for hosting large feasts centred around beef are increasingly holding events without slaughtering cattle.
For many elderly Batswana, the situation feels painful because cattle represent far more than business. They symbolise wealth, respect, identity and tradition.
In many communities, bride price negotiations that traditionally involved live cattle are now increasingly being settled with money because movement restrictions make cattle transactions difficult.
The restrictions are therefore affecting both livelihoods and culture. The ministry says the revised controls are necessary to protect the national herd and prevent further spread of the disease.
Under the latest measures, movement of cloven-hoofed fresh products into and within Zone 17 is now allowed without permits, although movement out of the zone remains restricted unless authorised.
Livestock feed, trophies, skins and hooves can now move freely within Zones 3c-Dukwi, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5, 6a, 7, 8, 9 and 10.
Fresh products from Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) butcheries are now permitted within Zone 11 and may move to the rest of the country under permit and seal. Processed products such as cooked meat, pasteurised milk, madila and dry biltong remain exempt from restrictions.
However, vacuum-packed fresh meat is still classified under FMD controls. The toughest restrictions remain in containment Zones 11, 12 and 13, where movement of live cloven-hoofed animals is still prohibited.
These areas include the Lobatse communal area, Molapowabojang, Digawana and Mogojogojo, where recent infections prompted the establishment of containment zones.
Botswana’s latest outbreak has also placed the country’s beef export ambitions under pressure. During a recent council meeting, Good Hope District Council chairperson Gofaone Nkwane revealed that confirmed FMD cases in the district had risen to 159 since the disease was first detected at the Ramatlabama Artificial Insemination and Training Centre in April.
The infections have since spread to several crushes and feedlots around the Lobatse area. Nkwane warned that the suspension of Zone 11’s green status threatens Botswana’s access to the lucrative European Union beef market.