October 29, 2022

Botswana will slaughter at least 10,000 cattle due to foot-and-mouth disease

Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi said the nation will slaughter at least 10,000 cattle northeast of the country to stop the spread of food-and-mouth disease, Xinhua News reported.

The president said the disease has no known treatment, adding that the only way to prevent the disease is to kill the affected cattle.

In addition, he said that foot-and-mouth disease is a ticking time bomb for the nation, and that if nothing is done to stop it from spreading to other regions, Botswana's cattle sector will be destroyed.

He commended the farmers for cooperating with the government to address the issue, despite the challenges presented by foot-and-mouth disease. Per animal, farmers will receive compensation of about US$225 dollars.

In August, the disease forced Botswana to halt all beef exports to the European Union (EU). Each year, the nation sends 9,000 tonnes of beef to the EU.

-      Xinhua News