Zimbabwe suspends Botswana beef import deal

Government has reportedly suspended an import deal between the Cold Storage Company (CSC) and Botswana Meat Company to protect the local beef industry.

When the deal collapsed early this year, officials cited the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in some parts of the country, including Botswana, but minutes of the CSC board meeting seen by this publication indicated that the government stopped the beef imports in order to safeguard local producers.

Minutes of a CSC board meeting dated September 1, 2015, indicate that cattle were being sourced from an area which was not affected by foot-and-mouth disease.