Maravi

Ban on livestock movement is counterproductive, says Machila

Ban on livestock movement is counterproductive, says Machila
Written by Henry Chibulu in Mazabuka
Monday, April 27, 2009 3:08:10 PM

GOVERNMENT has said the blanket ban on livestock movement is counterproductive and should not be imposed on farmers who regularly vaccinate and dip their animals.
Livestock and fisheries minister Bradford Machila said in Mazabuka that the Veterinary Department should not be rigid but consider the implications of imposing the ban on the lives of the affected farmers.

Machila who was speaking when he addressed commercial and small-scale farmers at Mazabuka Tennis club on Saturday said the impact of the ban on livestock farmers in Mazabuka was frightening given the colossal sums of money the farmers lost during the process.

He said the ban was an act of laziness on the part of the Veterinary Department and would not be entertained especially on farmers who employed good bio security measures.

Machila said there was need for the Veterinary Department to take into account the impact of such measures and review them before taking action.

He observed that Mazabuka alone contributes 70 per cent of milk supplied to Parmalat Zambia Limited, adding that during the ban, milk supplies to the company had been affected.

Machila’s reaction followed complaints by commercial farmers that during the last movement ban imposed on livestock products, farmers lost huge sums of money. The farmers told Machila that after they protested during a meeting chaired by the then Southern Province Veterinary officer Dr Linous Munsimbwe, the department’s headquarters allowed them to transport livestock products to Lusaka where they had a steady market.

The farmers also complained that it was unfair for the Veterinary Department to impose a ban on the movement of livestock and related products when the local Veterinary office was not provided with logistics to mount roadblocks and constant patrols to deal with the illegal movement of livestock.

Southern Province is one region in the country which has over the years battled with animal diseases, causing the government to impose a ban on the movement of animals in the area to contain the diseases.

Labels: BRADFORD MACHILA, CATTLE DISEASE

posted by MrK @ 2:09 PM