May 2, 2006

Foot-and-Mouth disease threatens beef trade in Botswana

The rapid spread of the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) could cause Botswana millions in lost earnings, the Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) said Monday (May 1).

The disease has forced the country's two abattoirs to shut down operations and forced the recall of six containers of beef on its way to Europe and South Africa.

BMC chief executive Motshudi Raborokgwe said the shut-down of the abattoirs would seriously affect exports to the European Union and could even threaten the survival of the beef industry.

The outbreak is the latest in a series of problems faced by the beef industry in Botswana, which has been hard hit by droughts and a series of epidemics in recent years. The country has been unable to meet export quotas to the EU due to a shortage of slaughter cattle.

The company, which has a monopoly on beef production, has been incurring losses since 2001. It has also been criticised for failing to support farmer empowerment schemes and its ability to switch from the communal to commercial-style management.

The latest outbreak is concentrated in the southeast of the country, a major beef producing area with an estimated 100,000 cattle, according to Musa Fanakiso, director of veterinary services,

Botswana's recent FMD outbreaks have been linked to neighbouring Zimbabwe. A shortage of dipping chemicals there and the break-up of the large commercial farms has allowed the disease to spread.