The Independent Patriots for Change has called on the government to provide emergency funding to contain the current foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, urgently cull animals on the infected farm, and compensate affected farmers.
IPC shadow minister of agriculture, fisheries, water and land reform Michael Mulunga made the call in a statement issued on Saturday following an update by acting agriculture minister Charles Mubita.
“We therefore call on the government to ensure emergency funding is provided in order to contain the spread of FMD. We further call on the ministry to urgently cull all animals on the infected farm and to compensate the affected farmers in accordance with Section 30 of the Animal Health Act,” Mulunga says.
The IPC welcomes Mubita’s update, including surveillance results showing that 17 of 199 samples tested positive for FMD and that all positive cases remain confined to the Karasburg State Veterinary District.
Samples collected between 22 and 25 September came from animals in the ||Kharas, Khomas, Omaheke, Otjozondjupa and Oshana regions. They comprised 117 from Karasburg, 50 from Gobabis, 30 from Otjiwarongo, one from Windhoek and one from Ondangwa.
The government says further surveillance is under way to guide decisions on when and where restrictions on the movement of cloven-hoofed animals and their raw products can be eased.
The IPC says the outbreak should be treated as a national emergency and urges farmers and the public to comply with veterinary measures, including obtaining permits before moving animals, reporting suspected cases and following biosecurity protocols.
“By complying now, we shorten the road to recovery. Every farmer who follows the rules brings us one step closer to lifting restrictions and returning to normal trade,” Mulunga says.
The government confirmed on 22 September that FMD had been detected on a commercial farm in the Karasburg State Veterinary District. Initial laboratory tests found 10 of 11 samples from a herd of 65 cattle positive for the virus.
The government has activated its FMD contingency plan and imposed movement restrictions. Mubita said these would gradually be eased in certain areas once surveillance results are available and the outbreak’s extent has been assessed.
