August 19, 2011

Belize launches cattle sanitation project

The government of Belize, in collaboration with the EU, has recently announced its National Cattle Sanitary plan project, which will test all cattle for diseases.

This implementation of the National Cattle Sanitary Plan is to test all cattle in the country for Brucellosis, Tuberculosis and a surveillance plan for BSE or Mad Cow Disease. In addition a national livestock registry will also be developed for the exportation of cattle to Mexico and other countries.

Exporting cattle from Belize to Mexico has been a long held dream but turning that dream into reality has proved impossible. That's because the Mexicans require records; they want a paper trail which lists everything from what vaccinations heads of cattle have received right up to what a cow had for lunch last month. Sounds good, but not at all the way cattle is kept in Belize.

But now a now project hopes to bridge that chasm between rural cattle rearing and stringent record keeping.

"The cattle sweep is a necessary requirement in order for Belize to meet the requirements of Mexico, in order for us to export. You see, they quarantine against three basic diseases: Brucellosis, Tuberculosis, and we are required to be free of both diseases. We are also required to atleast have a surveillance system for BSE, which is the Mad Cow Disease. So, once we - through the cattle sweep - are able to prove that we are free of those diseases, then they will allow us market access into their country. We want farmers to be prepared, that when teams go around - they will be advised ahead of time when the teams will come around to their farms to test their animals - that they are ready, because the testing will have a cost. I think that is what we really want, because the last thing that we would like is when the technical teams go out to the farms, we have farmers objecting and creating unnecessary public uproar and discontent. Also to remind them that this testing has a cost, because of the EUR4.4 million (US$6.3 million) that were being spent, which is about US$12 million, will be spent on the whole three-year project, they will have to bear 23% of that cost. So they need know that, so that when the BNPA people come to them, they will be prepared. If they have 100 cattle, they know that it will cost them approximately US$10 per animal, so that they have those monies prepared."