Farmers want slice of P97m FMD budget
Friday, February 13, 2026 | 190 Views |
Mthombeni
JACKALAS NO. 1: When the Mmegi team descended at the border village this week to hear from the farmers and butchery owners themselves, they had a mouthful to say.
The area has become the epicentre of the country’s latest Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak, with the suspension of trade, export, slaughter and related activities involving cattle, goats, sheep and pigs across the country.
“The trouble with government regulation of the market is that it prohibits capitalistic acts between consenting adults.”~ Robert NozickWhile government must contain the disease, it must also confront the growing economic hardship caused by its response. For many rural households, cattle remain a source of livelihood and the only means for tending for thousands of families, and for these kind of people the longer the restrictions continue, the...