Govt bans cattle movement

Government has banned the movement of cattle for grazing, fattening, marketing and breeding purposes to contain foot-and- mouth disease (FMD) and cut on vaccination costs, a senior Government official has revealed.

Only cattle going straight for slaughter will be permitted to move from one district to another. The new measure will see farmers establishing feedlots and marketing the livestock in their areas.

Initially, farmers used to transport their cattle to abattoirs for sale but now the abattoir operators will have to go to the farming areas to buy cattle and fatten them there.

FMD had by February spread to six districts, a situation which saw the country receiving assistance from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the European Union (EU).

Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development Deputy Minister responsible for Livestock Paddy Zhanda said the ban in cattle movement would reduce costs as the "vaccines are not for free".