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Fear, despair as FMD again visits North East

Friday, February 06, 2026 | 210 Views |

Follow the leader: Cattle queue up for the FMD vaccine on Wednesday PIC: MINISTRY OF LANDS AND AGRICULTURE FACEBOOK

FRANCISTOWN: One farmer was rushed to the clinic for a panic attack. Others are gripped in fear, including one who lost 400 cattle in the 2022 outbreak. LESEDI MKHUTSHWA speaks to farmers as another invasion of Foot and Mouth Disease hits the North-East, but this time at an ‘unprecedented’ level.

A fresh Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in the North East region, specifically around Jackalas No.1 village, has left farmers devastated, with the dilapidated and vandalised border fence blamed for allowing the virus to spread from Zimbabwe to Botswana.

Farmers are gripped with fear that the economically devastating disease has spread much further than Jackalas, and the Department of Veterinary Services is fast-tracking sampling and testing to determine how far the virus has spread.

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Fear, despair as FMD again visits North East