Farmers face tougher punishment

The Ministry of Lands and Agriculture is tightening enforcement of livestock control measures, with cattle owners facing tougher punishment for allowing their animals to roam in villages towns and other restricted areas as the country intensifies efforts to contain Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD).Speaking at the Mochudi Main Kgotla, District Agricultural Coordinator Boitshepo Nape said roaming cattle were undermining efforts to control the spread of FMD, particularly in restricted zones.Nape said cattle were not supposed to roam freely in built-up areas, streets or other public spaces, warning that proposed stricter enforcement could see offenders facing a fine of up to P5 000, imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years, or both.Additional punishment could be imposed in accordance with the law. Nape explained that the law regulating wandering livestock was not new, but had not been fully enforced.He said authorities were now moving towards stricter implementation as part of measures to prevent cattle from moving between disease-controlled areas.“Cattle that roam in restricted areas lower the ministry's effort to win the fight against FMD,” Nape said.Under existing livestock control provisions, authorised council officers and law enforcement officials can seize and impound unattended livestock found wandering in public spaces, residential areas and built-up areas.Impounded animals are normally kept at designated pounds or council kraals, with owners required to pay applicable impoundment, feeding and other costs before reclaiming them.Unclaimed livestock may subsequently be dealt with in accordance with applicable laws, including being treated as stray livestock or sold through a public auction. Local authority by-laws havetraditionally provided for fines and imprisonment for owners who fail to control their livestock.Nape said the proposed approach would effectively raise the starting penalty, with the P5 000 fine no longer being reserved only for repeated offences. He further warned that cattle entering FMD-restricted zones would be impounded.The tighter enforcement comes as agricultural authorities step up vaccination, surveillance and movement control measures in response to the disease.Also speaking at the Kgotla, Dr Kingsley Siele said authorities had established checkpoints and were reconstructing the fence separating Zone 11 from Zone 10. He said fence erectors had been engaged as part of emergency measures to strengthen livestock movement control.Siele said surveillance teams had also been deployed in Kgatleng to monitor the spread of FMD, while emergency vaccination was underway.“We began planning to inject all the cattle from Gamalete in the Ramotswa area up to Dibete,” he said.According to Siele, the vaccination programme is being conducted in three phases, with the first phase already completed. He said approximately 50 000 cattle had been vaccinated during the first phase, with authorities preparing to commence the second phase.Siele said the vaccination programme was expected to reach a major completion point by October 17, although vaccination would continue where necessary based on surveillance findings.He said authorities also intended to extend vaccination to areas considered to be at risk, including areas towards Kweneng District. The continued vaccination programme will run alongside FMD movement restrictions, increased surveillance and other disease-control measures.Siele said checkpoints would be moved to areas undergoing vaccination to support the exercise and monitor livestock movements. He urged farmers and the public to comply with restrictions, saying cooperation remained necessary to contain the disease.Among the challenges facing the authorities is the movement of wildlife, particularly buffalo, which are known carriers of FMD. Siele cited reports of roaming buffalo in Malolwane as a concern because wildlife movement could complicate efforts to control the disease.Another challenge, he said, was cattle without ear tags. He urged farmers to ensure their cattle were properly tagged, saying identification becomes difficult when animals are found wandering or are impounded.Siele also raised concerns about matimela—stray or ownerless cattle—which he said often remain in the open and complicate livestock control. He advised members of the public who come across matimela to bring them to their kraals or report them to the relevant authorities.“Cows seen in the middle of the gazetted roads will be impounded, and the ministry will decide on what to do with them,” Siele said.Siele also expressed concern that some farmers were slow to bring their cattle for vaccination despite continued communication from agricultural officials. He said vaccination would continue in affected and high-risk areas as authorities sought to contain FMD and prevent further spread.

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Farmers face tougher punishment