With Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) reported in the Zambezi Region, farmers and livestock stakeholders in Kavango West are exploring ways to protect the region's cattle industry and prevent the spread of the disease.

The stakeholders met at the Kavango West Governor's Office  to discuss the challenges facing the region and possible measures to safeguard livestock and farmers' livelihoods.

Kavango West State Veterinarian Sara Gottlieb said that although the region is in a protection zone, the government continues to vaccinate livestock against various diseases. 

However, she explained that FMD vaccination is limited to specific areas.

"We carry out annual vaccination programmes, which are supposed to be done twice annually, using the trivalent purified SAT one, two, and three in high-risk areas. So here I have to emphasise: we do not vaccinate against FMD in the whole region of Kavango West, only high-risk areas, which are 30 kilometres, the radius of the Namibian and Angolan border, and areas including Ohangwena, Kavango West, and the Kavango East region."

Gottlieb also highlighted several challenges, including delays in vaccine procurement, cattle escaping from crush pens, and the vast size of the region. These challenges have raised concerns about the region's preparedness to prevent and respond to a possible outbreak.

In an effort to combat livestock disease outbreaks, stakeholders are concerned that the lack of a functional quarantine facility puts Kavango West farmers at a market disadvantage. 

Here are their views.

"That 18th degree. I don't know what to call it, the border between Ohangwena and Kavango or Oshikoto and Kavango, but that fence should be well maintained to protect all of us."

"There are things that seem to have been pending for so long, and there seems to be no agency to resolve. One of them is the SOP."

"That time when Meatco was buying cattle here, they even used to buy cattle at Katwitwi, but those cattle they used to take to Mangetti, but up to now Mangetti is not functional."

Kavango West Governor Verna Sinimbo says her office will engage stakeholders and advocate for more quarantine facilities to prevent outbreaks and improve regional preparedness.

"You know, things like this, to me, are something that we can resolve at the government level with our stakeholders, the private people, private farmers, feedlot owners, and so forth. So this is also something I've taken note of: we need to really pursue to see how best we can assist DVS because we can't use this one day as an excuse for not vaccinating."

Stakeholders are expected to work together to strengthen disease prevention measures and protect the region's livestock industry.