Maravi

Save our livestock sector

Save our livestock sector
By Editor
Thursday May 22, 2008 [04:00]

It seems our livestock sector is not going to be free from diseases soon. Animal diseases that had disappeared are re-appearing in addition to new ones. We say this because the outbreaks of these diseases, which seem perennial, are not being contained effectively. Our livestock sector is being crippled by animal diseases. The Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) broke out in Western Province in August last year and spread to Southern Province in February this year.

Apart from awareness campaigns to sensitise the general public and farmers, the government slapped a ban on the movement of livestock from Namwala, Monze, Mazabuka and Choma.

However, the ban has been relaxed though it is still effective in Mazabuka and Namwala because of the FMD as well as Kazungula, which has Contagious Bovine Pleuro-Pneumonia (CBPP).

This relaxed ban only applies to the movement of animals within the areas that are free of the FMD for slaughter and rearing after meeting all disease control requirements.

Carcasses of livestock, not live animals, are now allowed to be transported from the free areas to Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces. There are also conditions under which raw milk, skin and hides are supposed to be transported in a bid to contain the livestock disease.

There have been reports that the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives is procuring vaccines to combat these diseases but the vaccines are yet to arrive in the country.

It is very clear that fire-fighting techniques in managing these diseases are not working and we need to change our approach. Looking at the magnitude of animal diseases in the country and their impact on the farmers who depend on livestock for survival, this type of inertia is not only regrettable but crippling.

The government, together with stakeholders, should have by now come up with solutions to this problem, whose end does not seem in sight.

Yes, the responsibility of curbing these diseases should be collective and it is good that the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) has been helping to sensitise its members over the need to adhere to measures that are aimed at controlling and preventing the outbreak of animal diseases.

There are many countries from which Zambia can draw some valuable lessons. We can learn a lot from countries like Britain which have dealt with animal diseases successfully before.

When FMD broke out in Britain over two years ago, the response was effective and in no time, the disease was contained. Yes, Britain is developed and has the resources and manpower to tackle such problems but Zambia can look at how quick the response was and how involved the authorities were in addressing the problem.

Over the years, there have been concerns over the meagre resources allocated in the budget to the agriculture sector, let alone the livestock sector specifically, which seem to fall on deaf ears.

In 2006, the government allocated K5 billion to the livestock sector while in 2007 - after so many cries - the amount was increased to K47 billion. Strange enough this year, with widespread livestock diseases, the budgetary allocation has been reduced to K38 billion.

We think there is need for consistency in funding levels to ensure that the Veterinary Department is properly equipped to contain the outbreak of livestock diseases in the country.

The problem is further compounded by the late procurement of vaccines and drugs, which just boils down to inefficiency and poor planning since we know that these outbreaks are perennial.

Further, it seems the outbreak of animal diseases dictate our response. By now, we need to be asking ourselves why the current disease control strategies are not working? We need to know whether we are doing enough and whether our vaccination campaigns and livestock movement restrictions have had an impact on the ground.

For instance, in the case of CBPP, we need to know what the current situation is and what the future is since the disease has been spreading out of its traditional areas of Western into Southern and North Western provinces. We cannot continue deploying the same strategy for years if it is not working.

The control on the movement of animals has not worked very well and that is why we are not surprised that Southern Province minister Daniel Munkombwe is expressing concern over farmers that are moving animals from Mazabuka into Mumbwa through the Kafue River or from Kazungula to Monze in an effort to find market.

Much as he is attributing this to lack of information on animal diseases, it is clear that this control measure has failed us as a country.

In neighbouring Botswana, livestock disease control strategies are a general knowledge of every traveller and disease control and screening points are applied to all parts of the country whether there is an outbreak or not.

But in Zambia, the outbreaks determine our application of livestock movement screening and control points. Quite often, these points are set up after so much noise from area members of parliament, the public and the media.

If the country lacks resources, deliberate measures can be taken to zone areas, which have persistent outbreaks and veterinary officers can carry out routine tests and surveillance to help identify potential outbreaks before the actual outbreak occurs.

There is need for the government to take deliberate steps in addressing the problem in the livestock sector. This is an important sector, which we cannot afford to ignore.

Efforts should be made to set up a livestock back-up vaccine production plant to reduce overdependence on imported untested vaccines that have not helped us in any way. Take for instance the vaccine for CBPP.

According to veterinary experts, the CBPP vaccine that Zambia is using is based on a 60-year-old vaccine that is poorly protective and can cause severe adverse reactions.

The same vaccine has residual virulence, making it a possible source of re-infection if not properly handled. With such a background, it is difficult to see any progress in combating the disease.

On the economic front, animal diseases have affected the country in terms of exports, as Zambia cannot access European markets for beef as a result of trans-boundary animal diseases.

The export rules for beef products seeking entry onto European markets entails the declaration of a country as a disease-free zone.

With the current situation in Zambia's livestock sector where a number of areas have been attacked by animal diseases, the country cannot export any of its beef to the EU until the diseases are controlled.

The effect on the farmers is equally devastating because they rely on their animals to fend for their families. The effect this year will be worse as most farmers in areas such as Namwala lost their crops due to floods and one wonders what else they will do since their animals are also affected.

If we are going to talk about meaningful poverty reduction strategies and economic growth that trickles down to the poor, these are some of the areas we need to look at.


However, it is encouraging that members of parliament are taking time to visit other countries such as Botswana to draw lessons. But it will be an exercise in futility if those lessons are not put into practice.

A lot has been said on the need to pay attention to the livestock sector, on the need to increase funding to the veterinary department as well as the need to provide incentives to agriculture extension officers to help improve service delivery.

There have also been calls to increase investment in the building of infrastructure for programmes such as compulsory dipping of all animals.

However, the onus is on the government and the stakeholders to find new ways of saving our beleaguered livestock sector.

Labels: CATTLE, CATTLE DISEASE

posted by MrK @ 3:44 AM