FMD control measures hit Maun again

FMD control measures hit Maun again

BONIFACE KEAKABETSE
CORRESPONDENT

 

MAUN: The ban on the movement of cattle and other livestock and their meat products in and out of Ngamiland for Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) control will still stand until further notice, the chairman of the North West District Council, Lathang Molonda, has said.

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Delivering a speech to the full council session on Tuesday, Molonda said the ban and other animal disease control measures, among them emergency vaccination, disease surveillance, bio-security and public education, were put in place by the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) to contain the resurgence of FMD in the district.  This follows the discovery of 16 new FMD cases in Komana Extension recently."In order to raise cattle immunity, DVS has embarked on a mini vaccination campaign targeting risk areas such as Maun West, Komana, Toteng, Tsau and Habu Extension," he said. The restrictions imposed to bar cattle products entering Maun from other areas, have taken their toll on butchery operators who have to travel long distances - as far as Central District, to source cattle for slaughter. This has led to a shortage of meat in Maun that has drastically pushed up meat prices for consumers.

Molonda also updated the house on the temporary closure of the Maun abattoir, which he said was due to lack of storage for carcasses and maintenance works at the abattoir.  "From March to April this year all sales were halted by BMC due to lack of storage. Approximately 110 tons of meat were sent to the cannery and some of it was donated," stated Molonda.Molonda said negotiations to find potential customers to buy pre-cooked beef from the Maun abattoir are on-going to ensure consistent cattle slaughtering without beef stock piles.  He said in January this year, the abattoir slaughtered 482 cattle, 1,056 in February, 696 in April, 594 in May and only 148 in June.

Molonda further revealed that the corporation faced water supply problems as the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) has for four months failed to supply the abattoir with water.  He said though the corporation has been successful in producing its own clean water, the water shortage problem poses threat once the abattoir reopens in July.On other issues, Molonda said from May 30 this year, Citizen Entrepreneurial Development Agency (CEDA), funded a total of 222 businesses in North West District at a total of 123 million. He said the services sector, which include tourism activities, catering and construction dominated with 122 such projects funded by CEDA. In the agro-business sector, 66 businesses in cattle breeding, horticulture, small stock and poultry were financed.He said CEDA is worried that a lot of applications in Ngamiland in the agricultural sector are for cattle production, which is hard hit by FMD, while there is no interest in other agricultural projects such as poultry and diary.