Farmer calls for better system to trace stolen, slaughtered cattle

The private operator for the Musese Green Scheme in Kavango West region, Winni Metzger, has called on the government to come up with a better way of tracing stolen cattle as the current system is failing to deliver results.

Metzger, who owns about 800 cattle, told The Namibian that a few years ago, Botswana had a strong system of controlling cattle theft and Namibia should emulate a similar system as the current ear-tagging of cattle is not solving cattle theft.

Metzger says Botswana’s system involves an electronic ear tag being shot into the stomach of the cattle.

He says this is a good move as the electric identification bolus stays in the rumen of the animal with no possibility of removing it until the animal is slaughtered.

Metzger says the stomach-based microchip or electronic transponder, embedded in a tag, bolus or implant, is easily read with a scanner.

“I seriously want to suggest that Namibia implement a similar system. Why can’t we have it here, where criminals are just cutting off ear tags and putting on their own,” he says.

He adds that if a cow is stolen but it has an electronic identification in the rumen, it can be identified at the abbatoir and returned to its owner.

Metzger says two weeks ago he lost about 20 cattle due to theft.

“They were stolen and the ear tags have been removed,” he says.

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform spokesperson Simon Nghipandulwa says the issue of stock theft controls lies with the Namibian police.

The ministry, he says, deals with disease control and traceability.

“That is an enforcement issue. What we do is to assist with information to the police with regards to the ear-tags that are there, using our Namibia Livestock Identification and Traceability System, where we assist the farmers to see who is the owner of the cattle and its vaccination history and where it has been vaccinated,” says Nghipandulwa.

He says if a farmer is suggesting better measures to enhance stock theft control, the onus is on them to make such provisions adding that the ministry has already created a system for traceability, not necessarily to control cattle theft.

“We are not a law enforcement agency but, we are there to regulate and to deal with animal health,” Nghipandulwa adds.

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