News

Nicholas Mokwena BG reporter | Friday July 21, 2023 11:15

P25 million for Cordon fences rehabilitation

Molao acknowledges that while distressing, culling livestock that enter infected areas or countries helps prevent disease outbreaks. These outbreaks can have dire consequences for farmers, regions, and the economy at large
 
Molao acknowledges that while distressing, culling livestock that enter infected areas or countries helps prevent disease outbreaks. These outbreaks can have dire consequences for farmers, regions, and the economy at large

The control of animal disease depends largely on movement control to stem the tide of cattle straying into infected areas, which is a serious challenge exacerbated by livestock rustling and wildlife damage of fences among others.

Shortage of resources such as transport and budget to keep up maintenance of disease control infrastructure especially cordon fences is yet another challenge.

Agriculture Minister, Fidelis Molao told Parliament that indeed his ministry killed 27 cattle at Dobe border gate after they were handed to the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) by the Namibia Directorate of Veterinary Service.

However, Molao claimed ignorance about any cattle that were found in the no-man's land between Botswana and Namibia in the Month of June 2023.

Molao told Parliament that the killed cattle were found inland of Namibia having traversed that country's CBPP (Contagious Bovine Pleuropneumonia) commonly known as lung disease, and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) vaccination

zones.

Molao said that all except two cattle were not identified with BAITS tags. Some of the animals did not have owner's brand marks. All the cattle had not been vaccinated for FMD for at least two years.

“The animals were deemed high risk and killed”, the minister said.

According to Molao, painful as it is, the killing of livestock that stray into infected areas or countries does help to prevent outbreaks of diseases which have far worse consequences not just for the affected farmers, but for the entire region and even the wider economy.

The current compensation for cattle killed after straying into infected zones or countries is P700.

Molao told Parliament that the reason for killing animals that stray into infected areas instead of returning them to owners is to prevent reintroduction of dangerous diseases such as FMD and the dreadful lung disease which the country had the misfortune of having back in 1995, at a huge cost.

He said as a way of preventing recurrence of incidents like this, and possible outbreaks of animal diseases, government continues to prioritise maintenance of border cordon fences.

This financial year, P25 million is earmarked for rehabilitation of priority cordon fences including border cordon fences. Molao said that this is a very small amount considering the number of cordon fences that need to be attended to.

“For this reason, Government encourages farmers to go back to the old tradition of herding livestock to protect them from theft, straying and predation, which will also have the spinoff benefits of preventing disease.

The Minister urged farmers to improve management of their livestock including by regularly kraaling at night, providing them with adequate water and supplementing with minerals in order to lure them back to kraals.

He said Government is partnering with NGOS such as CLAWS and Conservation International (CI) to implement herding health (H4H) protocols in Ngamiland which promotes implementation of Commodity Based Trade (CBT) which promotes safe production of meat.

Molao was responding to a question from MP for Ngami Kanaigura Hikuama who asked the Ministry to confirm to Parliament if it is true that in the month of June 2023, the Government through his Ministry killed some cattle found in the no-man's land between Botswana and Namibia's borders alleged to belong to farmers in the Ngami Constituency.