The government has shifted its focus to full Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) recovery, while intensified surveillance, vaccination and disease control interventions continue.
Disease control interventions, among others, include ongoing construction of the animal control disease fence.
The FMD disease remains concentrated across 18 farms in the Karasburg veterinary district.
The Directorate of Veterinary Services presented standard regulatory options in line with the World Organisation of Animal Health for the FMD recovery during a regional stakeholder engagement held in Keetmanshoop.
The options include all infected and susceptible contact animals in the affected area being immediately culled, vaccination of animals to create a protective buffer followed by slaughter, and animal vaccination for reintegration into the livestock production system.
Through the latter interventions, FMD recovery status can be regained within 3-12 months.
The FMD epicentre in the Karasburg veterinary district has an estimated 3 thousand cattle and 25 thousand small livestock.
"I put it to you to get some recommendations, but what we are recommending here is to try and recover within six months. If it doesn't work, we can always put it further," said Chief Veterinarian at the MAFWLR, Dr. EMMANUEL HIKUFE.
These were some of the stakeholders' recommendations.
"As soon as we get under control of the current situation, we must eliminate those animals. We sell them, or we slaughter them, and then the gap between market value for the animals should be subsidised by the government. It is possible that we make a bold move that we don't do this to be repeated in the future," stressed Farmer Deodat Dirkse.
The Governor of ||Kharas Dawid Gertze and his counterparts from Otjozondjupa and Omaheke, Pijoo Nganate and John ||Khamuseb also addressed the gathering.
"We cannot pretend to act normal in an abnormal situation; the equilibrium is broken, unfortunately. And we need to understand the deep challenge. For that reason, I am not insensitive because it also touches me. But I am sensitive towards ensuring that we get out of this abyss situation."
"We need to look at the holistic picture and holistic recommendation. We cannot act every time out of desperation. And as I said, we have done that as Omaheke. We have cleaned the borderline."
"It is painful to cull down the livestock of 3000. But it is better to cull them down with a little compensation and restart instead of contaminating the whole country."
Stakeholders also highlighted the potential risk of wild animals spreading the viral disease, which affects cloven-hoofed animals.