60,000 live cattle to be exported to Zim

Speaking to journalists at a media briefing here on Tuesday, Falepau said as a result of the labelling of Ngamiland as a Red Zone, movement of cattle and meat from that district was restricted and prevented from reaching Green Zones or FMD-free parts of the country mainly in the south, or exported to unaffected markets in southern Africa, Falepau told.

This resulted in an overpopulation of cattle in Ngamiland, with current numbers estimated to be between 400,000 and 500,000 in an area with a holding capacity for 200,000 to 250,000 cattle. Falepau said even if the BMC's Maun abattoir was operating at full capacity of 100 to 150 animals slaughtered a day, it would still be insufficient to bring the bloated population down.