Ten (10) cattle that were illegally moved from a farm in Banket to Chinhoyi were destroyed over the weekend by the Department of Veterinary Services (DVS).
DVS destroyed the livestock as part of efforts to fight the spread of January disease, also known as Theileriosis.
The cattle only had police clearance but had no veterinary movement permit.
Under the Animal Health Act, farmers and livestock dealers need veterinary clearance to move livestock.
Department of Veterinary Services director Dr Jairus Machakwa on Sunday told <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/vet-department-destroys-10-cattle/">The Herald</a> that the illegal movement of cattle is undermining their efforts to combat January disease. He said:
<blockquote>
For any livestock to be moved, we need a veterinary movement permit which proves that the animals have been cleared by the department and that it is safe to move them to another area.
As you might know, we have declared war against January disease, but this is being deterred by those illegal movements of livestock.
Farmers should know that each cow should get a veterinary movement permit for it to be moved.
That helps us to ensure that we do not spread disease from one place to the next.
It also helps us when we are having outbreaks to quickly control the outbreak and lift any quarantines that we would have imposed for disease control.
The law will be applied in all cases where animals are moved illegally.
This loss of animals is avoidable and farmers need to comply with the Law to avoid the destruction of their animals.
</blockquote>
Theileriosis is common during the rainy season, that is, between December and March and is most prevalent in January hence the name January disease.
The disease is spread through the bite of an infected brown ear tick.

Pindula News

Vet Department Destroys 10 Cattle In Chinhoyi

The Department of Veterinary Services (DVS) has resolved to penalise farmers who fail to dip their cattle consistently in a bid to control the spread of theileriosis, commonly referred to as January disease.
The tick-borne disease has wiped out tens of thousands of cattle across the country and authorities believe the situation can only return to normal if dipping is judiciously enforced, and adhered to.
Manicaland Provincial Veterinary Officer, Dr Charles Guri told The Manica Post that from next month (November), they will adopt a more radical approach in a bid to contain the disease prevalence.
He said the Animal Health Act, which was promulgated in 1960 criminalises deviant behaviour regarding dipping. Said, Dr Guri:
<blockquote>
In the past, people used to be force-marched to dip tanks. At independence, we adopted a different approach by taking proper veterinary extension services to the people, explaining the reasons, and importance of dipping cattle, hoping that the people will understand, and realise the benefits, but complacency crept in.
What we are now experiencing are the consequences. From November, we will be punishing those who do not heed the call to avail their cattle for dipping.
We will target those who violate animal cleansing regulations, and we will surely punish them.
Offenders will pay prevailing gazette fines, while repeated offenders will be taken to court for prosecution.
</blockquote>
He said his department has the capacity to conduct post mortems of dead animals to establish the cause of death in the province, but in some cases, they were not being notified of the deaths. Said Guri:
<blockquote>
It is not all animals that are subjected to post mortem. Only notifiable diseases are mandatory, the rest are at the discretion of the owner.
The predicament we find ourselves in is that some farmers do not report livestock deaths out of fear that they will be prevented from salvaging meat from the sick or dead animals.
We have enough personnel, 13 veterinary doctors, 30 supervisors, and 181 veterinary extension workers who can handle the situation in the province.
</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.manicapost.co.zw/forced-cattle-dipping-looms/">Manica Post</a></h4>

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