Dear Editor
While I appreciate the moral and ethical concerns he raises, I am afraid he is naïve. Please note the following:
Brussels or the European Union does not prescribe disease control strategies to trading partners. What they do expect is that if you are going to trade with them you have to have sound disease control programs administered by a competent veterinary authority.
The international authority on animal health is the OIE. They are the ones who assess the soundness of the veterinary services. They also have an animal diseases code called the terrestrial animal health code, which contains elaborate guidelines on disease control strategies. Killing of animals to contain an epidemic is among the recognised strategies. Naturally, animals must be killed as humanely but also in the most practical manner possible.
In Botswana we are unique in the sense that we have more cattle than we can eat. We, therefore, have to export our animals. If we can’t export our animals because we can’t control diseases like FMD, then livestock population will explode and exceed carrying capacity of the land. Then even far more animals will face lingering death due to starvation, which in itself is an ethical and moral concern.
Ironically, it is the success of the veterinary services of Botswana which has, over the years, facilitated access to export markets that has contributed to increase in livestock population. Fewer people would keep cattle if they can’t sell them!
We are currently seeing a steady increase in game ranching here and in our neighbours, especially South Africa. This is because there is a market in the form of hunting. These guys kill for fun and often the animals are not eaten. But their pastime ensures a healthy population of wildlife even those that faced extinction like rhino, sable and various species of oryx.
Some of the livestock diseases and pests are a serious welfare concern and euthanasia (humane killing) is often the merciful option for the animal(s). In the case of rapidly spreading disease like CBPP, as happened in Ngamiland, government was not only saving the nation from economic ruin, but she was actually sparing the rest of the national herd from unimaginable suffering. You see affected animals’ lungs and chest cavity literally rot (hence pleuropneumonia).
I sincerely hope bagaetsho we think hard about this deeply painful experience and avoid misleading our already vulnerable farmers
Regards
K. Motshegwa
Department of Veterinary Services
