|
 EU market restrictions say that an area that chooses to vaccinate cattle will not sell to the EU unless it has completely eradicated the disease. As it is now, Botswana authorities find themselves trapped in a dilemma of culling animals in the affected area or vaccinating them. Independent economist, Dr Keith Jefferis says that the EU market requirements as regards the FMD are very strict. "The EU market requirements are so stringent that they spell out that there must be no FMD in the area that exports to the EU market," he says. He believes that cattle must be culled to retain the EU market. "You will recall that in the previous years, there was an outbreak of FMD in the UK and they culled the livestock so that they could continue selling to the EU market. That is the best option," he says. He says unless Botswana wants to give up the EU market then that is when other options could be considered, which is also not a viable option. "The cost of losing the EU market will be felt in the long term. We have to cull and control the movement of livestock in the area," he says and adds that whilst the country can search for a market elsewhere, many other markets still impose the same restrictions. He cited the example of the Japanese market, which some consider to be a possible alternative but warned that it also has similar restrictions so there are no short cuts. He presented the EU market as the highest priced market and beef exporters will continue to reap a lot. "In the long term, we can look for other markets other than the EU and in the short term, this is what we should vie for." Speaking in his personal capacity, UNDP economist, Sennye Obuseng says that the decision to kill or not to kill will be arrived at after some careful consideration. "Culling is a possibility, but it will be a last resort. If they have to kill, they will have to do it," he says. He says if the area does not sell to the EU, then there is no problem. He worries about the socio-economic impact of having to cull the livestock in the area. "In any case, culling will be a decision that the government will have to arrive at after a careful consideration. If they are going to avoid culling, they must avoid it as well," he says. He wishes that the powers that be would interrogate the agricultural extension services. In his view, the extension services are failing the livestock industry. In his view, to deal with the outbreak of FMD now is important, but the bigger problem is to come up with a sustainable solution. He asserts that Botswana's main challenge is to secure the border area with Zimbabwe where the troubles seemingly comes from. The main task is to control movement of livestock and people effectively. "If Zimbabweans on their side were able to vaccinate and control the movement of the livestock, then we would all win. There is also the problem of theft of livestock into Zimbabwe which are reportedly resold to Botswana at cheap prices without declaring them at the authorities." He says it is gaps like these that represent powerful entries of the FMD. He doubts if extension service providers in the livestock and agriculture are really up to scratch to give farmers the right service. "Unless we have the society that is competent in dealing with cattle diseases and others, then we are in for a high jump." A University of Botswana (UB) Agricultural economist, Dr Patricia Makepe says the government is taking the right route in establishing the extent of the spread of FMD first and then considering what action to take. She adds that before anything is done, it is important to establish whether the affected area is a risk or not. She asserts that culling the livestock will be done mainly to protect the EU market, which no doubt remains lucrative. Her other contention is that whilst culling is a condition of the EU market, it is not good for the cattle industry especially that it will see a reduction in the number of cattle in a given area. To remedy the worrying situation of FMD, Makepe suggests that stakeholders should strengthen the border patrols and ensure that trans-border movement of livestock is eliminated, especially along Botswana-Zimbabwe border. Agriculture Minister, Johnnie Swartz says the government will decide the next action based on technical advice from the veterinary experts. "You would recall that when the first cases were reported, there were only 13 cattle showing clinical signs of FMD and the number has since grown to 207. "We expect the experts to come up with their final position this Saturday and advice the government accordingly," he says. As of now, experts feel that they have not done enough. "They want to further the mouth inspections and determine the extent of the spread of the disease. We will decide whether we kill those affected now or take some other action that will be determined by the experts".
|
