Govt admits foot-and-mouth failure

The authorities have suspended all movement of cattle until further notice, and has banned the  exhibition of livestock at the country’s major events like agriculture shows.

Masvingo provincial veterinary officer, Enerst Dzimwasha, confirmed that they had failed to deal with the disease, which is wreaking havoc in some areas. “We have failed to eradicated the disease because we do not have enough manpower, nor do we have proper methods of limiting the spread of the disease,” said Dzimwasha. “We will continue with our fighting spirit but to be honest we have failed to deal with the disease.”

Villagers in several parts of Masvingo are losing dozens of cattle every month as they do not have enough money to buy the needed vaccines. “Here in Mwenezi we lost about 50 cattle in just one month and the situation is very worrying,” said farmer Fabain Matsilele.
Last year the government declared  foot-and-mouth a national disaster and banned the movement and sale of cattle in the affected areas. All public cattle auction sales were also suspended.