Government has pledged to boost the supply of livestock vaccines and acaricides to rural areas after legislators raised alarm over outbreaks of lumpy skin, foot and mouth and tick-borne diseases that left farmers unable to treat animals earlier this year.
Midlands province Senator Sisasenkosi Ndebele told Parliament that at the start of the year several livestock diseases hit rural areas, but preventive and curative medicines were unavailable even in urban centres.
She challenged Agriculture, Fisheries and Water Resources Development minister Anxious Masuka to tell the Senate what efforts were in place to ensure the availability of preventive or curative medicines to be taken to the rural areas.
“When there was an outbreak of the diseases, the medication was not even available in urban areas,” she said.
In response, Masuka said heavy rains and a mid-season dry spell increased tick populations and disease pressure, listing foot and mouth disease, January disease, and lumpy skin as the three major threats.
“Foot and mouth disease outbreaks are ravaging all the districts of Matabeleland South and five out of five districts in Matabeleland North,” Masuka said.
“We are seeing January disease in April, June and August. So, it is no longer January disease; it is now an all-year-round disease.”
He added that Masvingo had the highest number of lumpy skin cases, though deaths were higher in Matabeleland South.
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To address shortages, Masuka said the government was working with local vaccine manufacturers to improve stock levels.
“We have 4 211 dip tanks in the country and the responsibility to ensure that acaricide or any dipping chemical is available lies with both the cattle owner and the government,” he said.
He confirmed that resources were released to three major acaricide suppliers for nationwide distribution and Treasury provided funds to rehabilitate dip tanks.
“The government is going to pay for materials and the locals within the area are going to provide their labour,” Masuka said.
Legislators also raised concern over ineffective dipping.
Makoni Central MP, Patrick Sagandira said cattle had ticks after dipping, questioning whether chemicals were being safeguarded or rotated.
Masuka acknowledged the problem, citing acaricide resistance.
“We now know there is a disease called acaricide-resistant cerussite. That is why we rotate these medicines,” he said.
“It could be that they are misusing the tanks or the chemical was being used repeatedly whereby the ticks became resistant.”
Government urged farmers to present cattle for weekly dipping and contribute the required US$2 per beast per year, noting that some provinces were dipping as few as 38% of their cattle population.
