Registration of feedlots ends April 30

GOTHATAONE MOENG
Staff Writer | Wednesday April 13, 2011 00:00

 

This registration of feedlots is the first phase in implementing some of the European Union (EU) recommendations following the delisting of exportation of beef from Botswana to the EU by the department.

Speaking at a press briefing at the Ministry of Agriculture offices yesterday, director of veterinary services, Dr.

Philemon Motsu said the registration of feedlots will help to 'guarantee traceability requirements of the 40/90 days residency in a holding or territory.'The European Union requires that animals slaughtered for export to their market should have stayed in a closed area like a feedlot or holding for 90 days, or in a farm or cattle post for 40 days.

Farmers will be required to sign declaration forms attesting to where their cattle have been, Dr. Motsu said. Other phases will include registration of fenced commercial farms, expected to be concluded end of May, and registration of communal grazing areas expected to be concluded end of September.

All holdings, which under the European Union, include farms, feedlots and community grazing areas will be expected to keep records of their animals, veterinary medicines used, feed used as well as cattle movements.

Dr. Motsu also said that cattle movement permits will be issued only from centralised loading facilities (CLF's), and not from farms or cattleposts.Currently, there are six operating CLF's in Molepolole, Francistown, Dibete, Lokalane, Lephephe and Thalamabele.

More loading facilities will be constructed in Orapa Quarantine, Otse, Sekoma, Gopong and Lotlhakeng.All cattle will be expected to be trucked to the loading facilities and not trekked, Dr. Motsu said. Dr. Motsu also said that legislation will be reviewed to enforce keeping of farm records and animal identification. Further, he said that implementation of the recommendations from the EU will require funds, personnel and transport.

Motsu said he was not in any position to say how much revenue the country will lose due to the delisting in exportation. However, he clarified that the Botswana Meat Commission is not closed, but exporting to areas such as South Africa and looking to markets such as Zambia and China.

Meanwhile, the situation with the shortage of milk is expected to remain the same for sometime as the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak in South Africa has still not been contained, and there is continued surveillance.

Motsu said their department gets weekly updates from their South African counterpart and that they received their last correspondence last Tuesday which said in part that 53 tested samples of cattle from Kwa-Zulu Natal were found to be positive while more than 150 were found to be negative.

Tuelo Tuelo, also of veterinary services, said there is shortage of milk in the country because the local dairy industry is still in its infancy, with only 6000 dairy cattle, of which only 2000 can be milked at any given time.