Zim to resume ostrich exports

ervices, Stuart Hargreaves, the government has implemented measures to control bird flu and foot and mouth outbreaks to facilitate exports.

Hargreaves said the government was expected to convince EU authorities on measures being implemented to control outbreaks in the sector. He noted that control measures had been implemented at ostrich farms in Umguza District in Matabeleland North and in other parts of the country.

“We have improved the foot and mouth rehabilitation centre as well as fenced off the Gonarezhou National Park. All the birds with positive anti-bodies were moved to one farm and we are convinced the disease would be confined to one farm. We have to be in a position to show that there has not been a circulation of the virus for three months … before the end of the year, we should have resumed exports,” said Hargreaves.

Exports to the EU were suspended in 2004 following the outbreak of the foot and mouth disease and recently later last year. According to international regulations governing exports, a country is suspended for 24 months from the last disease outbreak.

The country was last month allocated US$150,000 by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) to put in place measures to control and the deadly H5NI bird flu outbreaks.

But to date the country has only received US$33,000, which was used on awareness campaigns and also the purchase of chemicals in the event of an outbreak.

The country has been on a high alert since the outbreak of the deadly flu virus in the continent, with the worst being reported in Nigeria.

The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare has also established a taskforce to put in place measures for the early detection of the influenza virus. – CAJ News