Corporate Communications and Public Relations Manager, Tiro Kganela, says the Francistown abattoir should commence slaughter on October 17, but will start with EU-eligible cattle from zones recently declared FMD-free. In addition to slaughtering from FMD-free zones, the BMC also plans to use the Francistown abattoir to slaughter cattle from Ngamiland (Zone 2), which is not FMD-free, for export to Angola. "We have to slaughter in this order: EU-eligible, non-EU Green Zone, then Zone 2 cattle," Kganela explains. "Slaughter of Zone 2 cattle in Francistown requires a number of other conditions to be met before we can start purchasing cattle for slaughter in Francistown.
"To facilitate passage of the cargo, the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) will obtain in-transit permits to allow transport of Zone 2 meat through Namibia to Angola."To protect the rest of Botswana, a risk mitigation protocol for transport of Zone 2 animals through non-FMD zones needs to be in place." Kganela says the BMC needs approval of DVS for a two-day decontamination period at the Francistown abattoir between slaughtering and deboning of Zone 2 carcases and EU-eligible cattle to mitigate the risk of transmission of the FMD virus.
