Zambia cannot export beef to the rest of Africa and Europe because of the failure to meet the set international standards in these countries as well as the presence of diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) and Contagious Bovine Pleura Pneumonia (CBPP), Fisheries and Livestock Minister Greyford Monde told Parliament yesterday.
Mr Monde said Zambia would only be able to export beef to other African countries and Europe after carrying out surveillance of trade sensitive trans-boundary animal diseases.
He said there was need to carry out vaccination of beef cattle and construction of check points and quarantine facilities.
Mr Monde was responding to Chadiza Member of Parliament Allan Mbewe who wanted to know which measures had been taken to facilitate the export of beef to Africa and Europe.
Mr Mbewe also wanted know whether there were any private companies that had expressed interest in exporting beef and what measures had been taken to ensure that Zambian beef met the exportation quality in view of Corridor and other diseases in some parts of the country.
[pullquote]And UPND Monze Central Member of Parliament Jack Mwiimbu asked Mr Monde to confirm that the nation was being feed on substandard beef.
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In response Mr Monde said for markets in Europe, measures that were being undertaken included the creation of at least one Disease Free Zone in the country.
“The ministry is also undertaking measures aimed at increasing the beef cattle numbers that is required to sustain the export market through the creation of breeding centres, promotion of artificial insemination, importation of improved breeds, improving management and nutritional status of the animals,” Mr Monde said.
He also explained that two companies (Zambeef and Majoru) had expressed interest in exporting beef to South Africa and Nigeria.Mr Monde further said in order to ensure Zambian beef met the export quality in view of Corridor and other diseases in some parts of the country, animal disease surveillance including ante and post mortem inspections by veterinarians had been conducted.
He said some of the measures to meet the export quality included disease control through movement control and vaccinations and creation of disease free zone.
Mr Monde said government had invested in laboratory facilities at central veterinary research institute in Balmoral and regional laboratories in Choma, Chipata, Mongu, Kasama, Ndola and Solwezi.
He added that Government had introduced compliance initiatives to international standards through development of regulations, enforcement of compulsory farmer registration as provided for in the Animal Health Act No. 27 of 2010 and feasibility studies on the animal identification and traceability system were being undertaken.
And UPND Monze Central Member of Parliament Jack Mwiimbu asked Mr Monde to confirm that the nation was being feed on substandard beef.
“Mr Speaker, I want the honourable minister to confirm that we are eating substandard beef because Zambia has no capacity to export beef because it does not meet the set standards,” Mr Mwiimbu said.
But Mr Monde refuted Mr Mwiimbu’s claims saying the country was eating the right and quality beef. Mr Monde explained that the failure to export beef in Africa and Europe did not mean that Zambians were eating substandard beef.
[Zambia Dailynation]
because of adding “romantic” aldhides lol
What do you expect from HH and his cattle? Poorly fed and malnourished animals because all the money is being spent on political campaigns.
@Yotamu
It simply means less forex coming into Zambia. Meanwhile, HH continues to live a comfortable life!!!
Greyford Monde a full cabinet minister….this surely laughable. …you can go anywhere with such empty tins working with our civil servants.
Unfortunately, 50 plus years after independence, Zambia does not have a workable Bio-Security Systems, that Europe and RSA can recognize. Our role thus far has been crisis management, only effected when a disease breaks-out. To the best of my knowledge the last disease surveillance was done 45 years ago. Until we put our house in order, we shall not be allowed to export beef to Europe. We could learn from Botswana, they have workable systems and are minting from beef exports to Europe.
The Tonga cattles, roumour has it ati niza mfiti ( juju cattle). No wonder they don’t it mostlyonly keeping while living in abject poverty
When you travel through Botswana you get the sense of how seriously they guard their livestock industry there with all the checks and careful surveillance. In Zambia we have great steaks, healthy livestock, but we have yet to learn to enforce measures that will enable us break into the market. This goes, sadly, with a lot of sectors that have great products but do not bother to look to international protocols to access markets. Even the Tabernacle will not save you from compliance if you don’t get off of your behinds to do something about it!
Roumour has it that Tonga cattle is juju cattle, is it true
Does Zambia have standards for anything? Everything and anything goes. Go to any market in Zambia and you will never eat any fish, meat, chicken, vegetables, etc sold there if you are health conscious. Zambia is a joke when it comes to standards pertaining to food – they don’t exhist.
HH boosts of being a big live stock farmer in southern province and yet they are sick and poorly fed. Why torturing animals if you have no capacity to feed them. The can’t is busy with politics while animals are suffering .
ZAMBIA NEEDS A SERIOUS GOVERNMENT TO PLAN AND IMPLEMENT DEVELOPMENTAL PROJECTS IN OUR LAND, NOT THIS PF MANTOOMBWA GOVERNMENT. THESE GUYS ARE NOT SERIOUS WITH DEVELOPMENT AND GOVERNANCE. YOU HAVE BEEN TOLD WHAT TO DO BY PEOPLE FROM SERIOUS COUNTRIES ON DEVELOPMENT, WHAT THEN ARE YOU WAITING FOR? IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS, PERIOD! KUZIIMA BA PF. STOP SLEEPING ON DUTY PAYA FARMER PF GOVERNMENT. COME 2016 WE ARE SENDING YOU OUT OF POWER.
In your mind, what is the purpose of building roads aimed at unlocking the parts of Zambia that cannot be reached.
In your own mind, what do you think should come first between planting cattle in Shangombo without access to markets.
You are so enveloped into just changing govt. It will kill you. How can you be so blinded by just wanting change. Change to what?
Batata ba TRUTH. Mu Zambia kale fyayamba. It has got nothing to do with PF. I don’t support what is going on but just want to point out that all governments that come, they are more like the same. They come with all promises and when they are there their behavior is just the same. Mark my words, who ever may ascend to power, we will be talking and complaining about the same things just within a short period of that Party in power. I don’t know whether it’s something to do with being African or it’s a Zambian thing but wait and see. Before the late Sata came into power, I remember people calling him Saviour. Now it’s HH. Never put so much trust in man until you see their works.
Botswana has failed the test in recent years, they are not exporting. South Africa failed at one time, I am not sure if they export to Europe. The only country exporting is Namibia but the beef must come form the arid semi desert parts, which have no Foot and Mouth Disease. Beef from areas near Angola, Zambia and the Caprivi Region are not exported to the EU. To export to the EU, you must have a system that trace animals from birth to slaughter.
it would make sense for us to think of exporting excess; ie, after we’ve had enough and get tired of braiis. Exporting while hunger reigns locally does not make sense; same applies to most essential food commodities.
But Zambians chabe, intentions of what they want to do are plenty but no action whatsoever!! Measures are there on paper, that’s where it all ends, on paper. Elo these measures are always a “copy and paste” from other countries that they get at international workshops/seminars, etc. when they get here, after they’ve chewed the ollowances they just sit on everything that was shared, no political will at all. No wonder we are also having these power issues because all the “plans” they had to expand the power supply in the country from the 90s just ended on paper
What do you expect with people like Greyford as leaders. These id!ots politic at the expense of real development. Zambeef has capacity that can create an environment where their beef will meet international standards but GRZ maintains a stranglehold on innovation & initiative so that they puppeteer business people. Zambeef are in beef to make money but our legislation does allow them to innovate.
Bufi ubo boyi! look in the mirror as you lie.
atleast HH has the sick ones what do you have HH techilema. the same sick has made you and your children grow you could have died of protein malnutrition. if you cant beat them join them by keeping sick ones as well
That job of securing export clearance is too much for PF. There are no bribes and kick backs to be had, in such a situation they will try to pass on responsibility to the private sector.
This should be a lesson,
Everything in Zambia lacks international standards and when us who are international professional tell them they want to reduce us to nothing. So this should be a wake up call for the Government and th e next government that this country is lacking in international standards and they have to accept to be helped. What is the point of breeding so much cattle when you do not have capacity to export it.
When we bring in things from the diaspora, they plunder our resources and they want ti turn the courts into a place to be making their profits by lying. Then failure to export such beef will increase cancer patients in our country which is not good at all.
Its time to pull up your socks, we are tired of seeing this country losing its standards, when other…