Zimbabwe foot and mouth spreads

Political and economic chaos in Zimbabwe is being blamed for an alarming spread of foot and mouth disease among cattle in neighbouring countries, which is putting southern Africa's meat industry at risk. Farmers in Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique and Zambia, say that assurances given by the Zimbabwean authorities which state that the disease is under control were 'dangerously misleading'. The outbreak was first detected in herds in the east of the country in July. It is now perceived as running out of control because the government of Zimbabwe does not have the foreign exchange needed to pay for the vaccine. Neighbouring farmers also believe that the Harare government is unable to prevent the cross-border movement of cattle by small farmers. These farmers are seeking to raise money to feed their families in a country where eight million people are facing starvation. Botswana shares an 800-mile unfenced border with Matabeleland in eastern Zimbabwe. There have been widespread outbreaks there and and hundreds of cattle have had to be destroyed. Stuart Hargreaves, principle veterinary officer in Zimbabwe's agriculture department, said there was no confirmation that Botwana's outbreak of foot and mouth had originated in Zimbabwe. However, he admitted that there was smuggling of cattle across the border by farmers seeking to take advantage of the favourable exchange rate of the Botswana currency, the strongest in the region. Farming communities close to the border in other countries are now reporting signs of the disease. Source: the Daily Telegraph