06 Oct 2015

They say ignorance of the law is no excuse. However, one would wonder as to how many laws or acts of laws that people are not aware of because they are, if ever, rarely enforced. One such act could be the 1977 Diseases of Animals Act which some farmers in Ngamiland claim they are not aware of its existence.

The Act, among others, calls for prosecution of people who do not vaccinate their livestock against diseases which could endanger the economy of the country.

In what seems to be a collective agreement, residents of the 20 villages visited to encourage farmers to vaccinate their cattle against foot and mouth disease appealed to the Department of Veterinary Services to enforce the 1977 Diseases of Animals Act which calls for prosecution of people who do not vaccinate their cattle against foot and mouth disease. 

 They blamed the department for ignoring the law, thus escalating the spread of foot and mouth disease with some people deliberately moving their cattle from the red to the green zone.

Foot and Mouth Disease has haunted Ngamiland for sometime now. 

The act which is cited as the Diseases of Animals Act provides for the prevention and control of diseases of animals; to regulate the import, export and movement of animals; to provide for the quarantine of animals in certain circumstances; and to provide for matters incidental to and connected with the foregoing.

The person guilty of an offence under this Act shall be liable to a fine not exceeding P5 000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, or to both and to corporal punishment.   

 

OTHER POINTS RAISED

• Quarantines should be revived 

• The use of purified vaccine in Ngamiland be enhanced

• Poor/lack of consultation between the ministry and farmers regarding general animal diseases

• Movement of livestock restrictions hinder vaccination campaigns

• Fences destroyed by elephants hence constant re-occurrence of FMD

• Temporary crushes during FMD vaccination be erected

• Encourage farmers in ranches to maintain their fences

• There should be reasonable intervals for follow up vaccinations 

• Cattle in Ngamiland are just too many to be controlled for ease of vaccination

• Zone 2d is vast consider sub zoning it

• A fence be erected to separate Lake Ngami and the Kareng area

• Farmers should be allowed to find market for their cattle outside the country

• Arable farming cannot be successful in Ngamiland as long as there are wild animals all over

• Employ people who stay along the buffalo fence to patrol the fence

• Elephants and buffalos in Ngamiland make it difficult to successfully fight FMD

• MOA should have a check list to identify those who have not vaccinated their cattle for action to be taken against them

• Government officials who are farmers do not vaccinate their cattle

• Council should take advantage of FMD vaccination to collect matimela at vaccination points

• Drought contributed to poor vaccination

• People gave up on vaccination because there are no markets for their livestock

• Officers who have cattle posts be encouraged to apply for leave during vaccination period 

• Vaccination period be re-considered. September is ideal

• Cattle which enter the delta should be quarantined and then given back to the owner rather than being killed.

• Crushes should be erected near boreholes so that more cattle are vaccinated

• Ipelegeng contributes to poor vaccination

• Government should consider culling of elephants

• Buffalo fence poorly maintained

• Government should consider selling elephants to other countries

• Vaccination dates should be announced well on time

• Consider FMD vaccination during school holidays so that school kids assist their parents

• During rainy season it’s difficult to round up cattle for vaccination

• Engage Ipelegeng workers to round up cattle for vaccination

• Government should consider water holes for elephants

• Consider mobile cattle crushes

• Monopoly of BMC is not healthy for the beef industry 

• Meat meant for Angola market why shouldn’t it be air lifted if Namibia is refusing beef from Ngamiland to pass through their territory

• Government should consider drilling boreholes aware from the Okavango river so that cattle are moved far away from the buffalo fence

• Kgomokgwana fence poorly maintained

• Slow response to reports of movement of buffalos in restricted areas

• Government consider electrifying Botswana/Namibian border

• Those who do not vaccinate should be reported to Dikgosi

• Manufacturers of FMD vaccine should be requested to boost so that it takes a longer period – one year after vaccination

• Introduce something like the Buffalo Meat Commission where buffalo meat would be sold or donate buffalo to trusts.

 

The team kept on encouraging farmers to vaccinate their cattle regardless of the challenges they are facing in their localities. They were told of the importance of vaccination and the challenges as well as problems they face which seemed similar. All in all the campaign seemed successful as indicated during one on one discussion with some farmers. Ends