Maravi

MP bemoans lack of livestock vaccines

MP bemoans lack of livestock vaccines
By Mutale Kapekele
Thursday May 22, 2008 [04:00]

Lack of vaccines has partly made the fight against livestock diseases difficult in the country, parliamentary committee on agriculture and lands chairperson Request Muntanga has said. During a courtesy call on Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe on Tuesday, Muntanga said most districts in the province did not have vaccines for all animal diseases and that this made the fight difficult.

Muntanga also said there was need to change the mindset of workers to effectively fight cattle diseases in the area.

He said the tour of Southern Province by his committee revealed that Ministry of Agriculture workers were more interested in allowances than fighting animal diseases.

"In Mazabuka, where foot and mouth disease has been reported, we found that all the K113 million allocated to fight cattle disease in the district, K69 million went to officers' allowances while the rest went to vehicle maintenance," Muntanga said.

"And there is no mention of purchasing vaccines in that money. Now how do we fight livestock diseases if we have to pay officers subsistence allowances in their own districts?"

Muntanga said the parliamentary committee would also travel to Botswana to learn from that country how to fight livestock diseases.

"We are going to visit Kasane, Francis Town, Gaborone and Lobatse in Botswana tomorrow Wednesday to learn how our brothers there have managed to fight livestock diseases," Muntanga disclosed. "We will also meet with officials from the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) and see how we can cooperate with them."

And Munkombwe said lack of information in fighting livestock diseases had made farmers dishonest.
Munkombwe said ordinary farmers did not understand the seriousness of livestock diseases and 'sneaked' livestock into other towns.

"Our farmers have become dishonest because they don't understand the diseases affecting our animals and some of them secretly sneak cattle from Mazabuka into Mumbwa through the Kafue River or from Kazungula to Monze in an effort to find market for them," said Munkombwe.

"We need to teach our farmers to appreciate that what they are doing could spread livestock diseases to other towns."

Labels: CATTLE, CATTLE DISEASE

posted by MrK @ 3:43 AM