The government has launched the Foot and Mouth Disease vaccination exercise, in Mkushi District, Central Province.
Mkushi Farmers Association Representative Douglas Badcock says the campaign is meant to control the animal disease, with consolidated efforts at the local level, adding that there is also a need to devote more resources to the district veterinary offices.
ZANIS reports that Mr Badcock noted that increasing veterinary officers will boost operations for the veterinary department in the district.
He stressed on the need to equip these offices with laboratory facilities and other inputs that would ensure prompt response and address to livestock disease operations.
He said that such a strategy will be in tandem with the decentralization policy that has been talked about overtime.
During the launch, Minister of Livestock and Fisheries Makozi Chikote affirmed the government’s commitment towards controlling FMD and other livestock diseases, saying that measures such as increased surveillance and efficient monitoring of stock will be applied.
Meanwhile, Central Province Acting Permanent Secretary Mwape Kasanda said that his office will ensure that the vaccination exercise is successfully implemented in this region, adding that livestock population is high in the area.
Mr Kasanda revealed that the province has the second-highest cattle population in the country with 743,595 cows, and ranks fourth highest in the number of pigs with 93,225.
He further mentioned that the province is third highest in number of sheep with 23,562, as well as 578,825 goats.
Douglas has spoken well. Vet services especially the labs at district level need to be urgently augmented to improve service delivery. Can you imagine that all farmers in the country who want to move their pigs to markets need to physically travel to Chilanga to take blood samples for lab tests and a clearance certificate. Agriculture development can not be attained with such bottle necks for farmers.